Awareness of child abuse
Child abuse is not a new phenomenon, it has always been with us. Indeed, the further back in history one goes, the lower the level of child care and the more likely children are to have been abandoned, beaten, terrorized, sexually abused and killed.
Public awareness of child abuse has changed considerably in the last 30 years. Before the 1960's there was very little mention of child abuse.
Freud 'discovered' child sexual abuse many years earlier and it became known as the seduction theory. However, in response to peer pressure he completely repudiated his theory, claiming reports of abuse were merely incestuous fantasies.
It was in the mid 1960's when Dr. Henry Kempe referred to the "battered baby syndrome" but it took many years for it to be widely accepted that parents, particularly mothers, could inflict such injuries on their children.
As professional became more skilled in identifying the physical and emotional signs of abuse, they began to find evidence of sexual abuse also.
A better awareness about family violence and sexual abuse has brought the whole spectrum of sexual, emotional, physical abuse and neglect into focus. Today, children are increasingly valued for themselves as individuals, and childhood is seen as an important stage of development. However, adults continue to abuse children and child abuse remains a complex problem that raises strong feelings and emotions.
Child sexual abuse was 're-discovered' in the 1940s by social scientists conducting large-scale studies of sexual practices. They are known as the Kinsey studies, in which 30% of women who took part reported having had a sexual experience as a child with an adult.
In 1956, a study by J. Landis noted that 30% of men who took part also reported having a sexual experience as a child with an adult, most typically a male.
Even in the light of these and other studies, there remained widespread public and professional denial that child sexual abuse took place.
The growth of the woman's movement and the spread of Rape Crisis centres in the 1970's meant many adult women were able to come forward to report sexual assaults. Many of those who did so also reported being sexually abused as children. The 1970s are often referred to as the 3rd time sexual abuse was 'discovered'
The following figures highlight the rapid growth in the detection of suspected child sexual abuse in the 1980s.
In 1979 a team of paediatricians in Leeds had no cases of suspected child sexual abuse. In 1982 they had 7. In 1984 they had 50. In 1985 - 161 and in 1986 - 900. Similarly in 1984/5 the NSPCC nationally had a 90% increase in reported incidents of child sexual abuse and a further 90% increase in 1985/6.
In 1994 more than 6,000 children were placed on Child Protection registers as a result of sexual abuse. It is recognized that this is only a small percentage of children who are sexually abused, because many don't tell about the abuse, and many are abused but not placed on a register.
We get our information on the frequency and extent of sexual abuse from two sources: -
Research has shown that the increase in reported incidents of child abuse is related to a better understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse and better inter-agency working - not because there has been an increase in the incidence rate.
Society still finds it hard to believe that adults sexually abuse young children even though there is overwhelming evidence that children very rarely lie about being sexually abused.
We teach children to beware of strangers but more than 75% of child sexual abuse involves people known to the child. I.e. Parents, relatives and friends.
Since the death of 7 year old Maria Colwell in 1973 many child abuse inquiries have made the national headlines. Unfortunately several young children have been killed, even though they were known to Social Services and known to be at risk. Social Workers are frequently castigated for not protecting children.
In July 1987 there was a national outcry when during a six-month period 121 children in Cleveland area were diagnosed as being sexually abused. Social Workers acted to protect the children but were castigated for being over zealous.
The media coverage of "worse scenario" cases not only sells newspapers but also influences public opinion. People who abuse children are usually portrayed as "monsters" - "sick" - "wicked", and far removed from our friends, relatives and acquaintances.
In reality, there are usually many complex factors leading to a child being abused. Without condoning any form of abuse, it is a fact that many adults who physically abuse children were physically abused themselves as children, or at least had unhappy experiences as childhood. Similarly, a recent study found that 57% of men who had sexually abused children had been sexually abused themselves as children. Even the most loving parent can, under pressure, hit their child too hard or be heavy handed with a persistently crying baby.
As our perceptions of abuse and abusers is influenced by the media, it is sometimes difficult for people to accept that we provide help to families in which children have suffered physical abuse. Because most people who physically abuse children do not set out to do so, and, Social Workers have a duty under the Children Act to work in partnership with parents and keep children within their families, we offer support in order to prevent further abuse and to promote better parenting.
As in the 1960's when there was widespread disbelief that parents could inflict harm on their children, and in the 1970's and 1980's there was a refusal to believe that adults could sexually abuse children. This phenomenon can today be compared to the fact that there is a similar disbelief of the growing evidence to suggest that women sexually abuse children, that ritual sexual abuse exists, and that physically and mentally disabled children are sexually abused.
Sources of information:
The last taboo - Gay Search.
Child sexual abuse - Glaser & Frosh.
The history of childhood - Lloyd De Mause.
Child sexual abuse: whose problem? - Richardson et al
Modern history of child sexual abuse - O lafson & corwin.
Publicity for the prevention of child sexual abuse - Home Office.