U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

We Can! Combat Child Sexual Abuse

NCJ Number
95332
Author(s)
S J O'Brien
Date Published
1982
Length
40 pages
Annotation
Written for parents, those who work with children, and people who have experienced child sexual abuse, this manual considers the nature and scope of the problem, the characteristics of child victims and perpetrators, and suggestions for short-term and long-term approaches for preventing and dealing with both sexual abuse and the sexual exploitation of children.
Abstract
Child sexual abuse damages the victim's psyche, lowers self-image, is exploitive, makes children vulnerable, provides misinformation about sex, and corrupts and confuses a child's morals. An estimated 100,000 cases of child sexual abuse occur each year. Perpetrators include pedophiliacs, pederasts, pornographers, and pimps. Many myths and misunderstandings surround the subject of child sexual abuse. Parents and those who work with children should be alert to the signs of sexual abuse. They also need to use appropriate interview techniques, including the 10 messages, spoken or nonverbal, that a victimized child needs to hear during the interview. Prevention strategies include educating children about how their bodies function and the difference between appropriate and inappropriate behavior, giving information about sexual abuse as part of basic safety information, teaching children how to say no, giving children the decisionmaking skills to call for help when they need it, and training children to be observant and to protect themselves. Additional guidelines and seven references are supplied.