Open AccessPublic attitudes toward child sexual abuse in Serbia
Author(s) -
Nikola Petković,
Mirjana Djordjevic,
Vasilije Balos
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
temida
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2406-0941
pISSN - 1450-6637
DOI - 10.2298/tem1004061p
Subject(s) - child sexual abuse , psychology , perception , sexual abuse , public opinion , child abuse , clinical psychology , psychiatry , developmental psychology , suicide prevention , poison control , medicine , political science , environmental health , law , neuroscience , politics
Bringing public attention to the topic of sexual harrassment of children in Serbia during 2010 as well as the series of arrests of persons suspected of “peadophilia“, encouraged authors to conduct a study which will analyze the public opinion about sexual child abuse. The study is conducted using a sample of 804 people in three comparative categories, laymans, professionals who work with potential victims and sexual abusers, and students of the Belgrade university. Besides assessing how well the persons in question are informed and assessing their concrete knowledge, the authors will evaluate standpoints in five dimensions questioning the perception of the term child, the term abuser and cause often abusing, stands regarding punative measures for sexual delinquents, stands regarding victimization of children with developmental disorders and finally the perception of the child regarding the abuse