Premium
The Testimony of the Child Victim of Sexual Assault
Author(s) -
Berliner Lucy,
Barbieri Mary Kay
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
journal of social issues
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.618
H-Index - 122
eISSN - 1540-4560
pISSN - 0022-4537
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-4560.1984.tb01097.x
Subject(s) - child sexual abuse , criminology , psychology , criminal justice , economic justice , sexual abuse , sexual assault , suicide prevention , child abuse , human factors and ergonomics , poison control , social psychology , psychiatry , medical emergency , medicine , law , political science
Sexual abuse of children, though widely condemned, is nevertheless more prevalent than has been previously realized. When the accused offender does not admit guilt, the testimony of the child victim is likely to be the only or the main evidence. Members of the criminal‐justice system often share general societal beliefs that children are not as credible as adults and that children cannot participate in such legal proceedings without serious trauma. In this article, we address some of the social and legal barriers to successful prosecution of child sexual abuse cases, and to the child's effective participation in such cases. Then, we discuss some steps that can be taken to help reduce, eliminate, or overcome these barriers.