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Children's Testimony in the Netherlands: A Study of Statement Validity Analysis

NCJ Number
162221
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 23 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1996) Pages: 304-321
Author(s)
F Lamers-Winkelman; F Buffing
Date Published
1996
Length
18 pages
Annotation
Agencies in the Netherlands that deal with child abuse and neglect are reviewed, and the Dutch approach to child abuse and the position of children as witnesses are examined.
Abstract
Many agencies in the Netherlands are supposed to deal with child sexual abuse, but whether they do so is another question. Agencies involved in child abuse include those from the medical, mental health, and criminal justice systems and child protection boards. Child abuse is viewed as a family problem rather than as a criminal act. Child sexual abuse, however, can be and is reported to the police, and sexual abuse victims are interviewed by the police and by court-appointed experts. On the other hand, victims of physical abuse are rarely interviewed about alleged events. Data on child abuse in the Netherlands are provided, and research on statement validity analysis (SVA) of child testimony is reported. In one particular study, the presence of content criteria in statements of alleged sexual abuse victims was compared across different age groups. The comparison was made using criteria-based content analysis (CBCA), a component of SVA. The sample included 103 sexual abuse cases; most victims were female, and the average age at the time of interview was 6.5 years. Interviews revealed a significant positive relation between age and the presence of several CBCA criteria. The authors conclude that age-related norms for applying CBCA are needed in order to draw accurate conclusions from SVA about the validity of statements by alleged child abuse victims. 28 references and 1 table