“We need to impress upon policymakers and the legal profession that they can’t expect children to testify about abuse in articulate, well-reasoned ways without inconsistencies,” says U of T professor Ramona Alaggia, of the faculty of social work. Without the ability to properly speak about their experiences, children may continue to suffer abuse for many years. Moreover, even if a child is able to signal for help, without consistent testimony prosecutors are often unable to convict a suspect.
The experience of sexual abuse in childhood can be devastating and has permanent impacts. Many psychological studies have documented the effects of childhood sexual abuse, which include depression, suicidal tendencies, and eating disorders. One’s mature sexual life, ability to trust others, and openness to intimacy can be greatly affected as well.
But, says Alaggia, very few studies have looked at exactly how children tell people that they have been abused-one of the most important factors in preventing future abuse.
Alaggia’s recent study on child sexual abuse disclosure patterns was published in the journal Child Abuse and Neglect. Alaggia interviewed 24 child sexual abuse victims, both male and female, from different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds and of different sexual orientations.
Alaggia’s major finding concerning disclosure patterns was that, regardless of the age of the child, the way of trying to signal people for help or attempt to tell somebody what happened varies significantly. Some children, particularly those that have not yet developed proper language skills, may not know how to accurately describe what happened to them. Without the means to verbalize their fears, many children may therefore continue to suffer abuse. Previous studies have found that as many as 40 to 80 per cent of all victims of child abuse do not disclose until they are adults.
In most cases when a child is suffering from sexual abuse he or she displays changes in behaviour, such as excessive clinging or temper tantrums. These behavioural changes can serve as cues for adults who may suspect a child is being abused.
But it is not only young children that may have trouble telling somebody that they have been abused-adolescents also often have difficulty. For example, many people come from backgrounds or cultures where sex is not commonly talked about, and this can lead to a reluctance or inability to talk about their experiences. Moreover, children often know that revealing such incidents can easily disrupt family life, and even lead to divorce, and hence may intentionally withhold information. With older children, behavioural changes like substance abuse and rage attacks can tip off an adult that a child is being sexually abused.
In Canada in 1984 the Commission on Sexual Offences Against Children and Youth (also known as the Badgley Commission) concluded, in a very well-known study, that at least one out of every four girls and one out of every ten boys is sexually victimized before the age of 18. And as many children may be unable to alert people to their abuse, Alaggia says people need to be aware that sexual abuse is common, and often goes unnoticed.
“Prevention programmes and sex education perhaps are a positive step in that direction,” says Alaggia. “Not just parents, but the neighbourhood, school, community, and society as a whole need to be extremely vigilant.”
Alaggia is now conducting a study on what happens to the victims of sexual abuse when they go through the criminal justice system. “Sentences aren’t very long,” she says. “[They consist of a] suspension or probation in most cases, often under two years, and this is not a lot of deterrent.”
