Child care providers who commit sexual offences: a description of offender, offence, and victim characteristics

Unveiling the shadows: Parental perceptions and familial impact of daycare abuse of preschool children

BACKGROUND

Preschoolers are at an increased risk of experiencing abuse, especially from caregivers. Early child abuse has adverse continuances on children's short and long-term development. The majority of previous studies were conducted in the 1990s in the United States, focusing primarily on sexual abuse. Despite the recently increasing public awareness of daycare abuse (DA), empirical studies on this topic have not yet been conducted in Israel.

OBJECTIVE

The current study was designed to examine parents' perceptions regarding the DA of their preschool children.

METHOD

The data were collected through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 14 parents of children who underwent DA. Qualitative analysis was performed on the narratives of the participants.

FINDINGS

Three main themes were identified: 1) parental shock, 2) community echoes, and 3) ripples of trauma. The study revealed the dramatic consequences of DA on children and their families. The families dealt with the consequences of the traumatic DA event, which destabilized almost every part of their lives. The study found that parents felt alone and without assistance from the authorities while facing the consequences of the DA.

CONCLUSIONS

In examining the parents' perspectives, the current study's findings presented essential empirical knowledge regarding the DA phenomenon and encouraged future studies in this area. This study has the potential to serve as a basis for the creation of professional training programs.

Maltreatment in Daycare Settings: A Review of Empirical Studies in the Field

Daycare maltreatment refers to abusive and/or neglectful acts perpetrated by teachers, directors, non-professionals or volunteers, family members of staff, and peers in a daycare setting. Despite growing evidence of its occurrence, the prevalence and consequences of daycare maltreatment for the child, the parent(s), and their dyad are largely unknown. This qualitative systematic literature review was conducted to synthesize the existing literature referring to daycare maltreatment, using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. In order to be included in the analysis, the manuscripts needed to report empirical findings regarding maltreatment in daycare settings, be written in English, be published in a peer-reviewed journal or a dissertation, and be accessible by our research team. In all, 25 manuscripts met the above criteria and were included in the review. Our results indicate that reports of daycare maltreatment are characterized by early age of abused children, inferring mainly to sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. The majority of these manuscripts reported caregivers' and teachers' abuse, while peer victimization was reported much less. In addition, the findings demonstrated a higher representation of female perpetrators compared to abuse in other scenarios. Although some indications of long-term implications are reported in the manuscripts, a well-validated measure for assessment of daycare maltreatment seems to be lacking. These findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the complex experience and ramifications of daycare maltreatment, providing insight into its multi-faceted implications.

"I Know It's Hard to Believe, But the Monster Who Abused Me is My Mother:" Experiences of Being Sexually Abused as a Child by a Female

In the present study we sought to shed light on the experience of adults who were sexually abused by females. Narratives in the current study were chosen from a large set of narratives (n = 505) that were submitted to the Israeli Independent Public Inquiry on CSA. Twenty-eight (n = 28) narratives of adults who experienced CSA committed by females were included in the study and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Two main themes were identified: (1) adults who as children experienced CSA committed by females, and (2) personal, interpersonal, and social constructions of the abuse. Most of the narratives included intrafamilial abuse, with half of the participants reporting that their mother was the one who committed the CSA, which often occurred during daily routine activities, with the main abuse scene being the shower/bathroom. Participants described various abuse experiences including the experience of powerlessness, "standing together," and captivity. Finally, participants discussed how social constructions of gender impacted how they understood and experienced the abuse. Child sexual abuse committed by females was described by the participants as having serious consequences for their lives. Participants shared how perceived gender roles and social scripts have an important role in casting doubt on the existence and reliability of CSA experiences committed by females. Findings from the current study help to identify key characteristics of sexual abuse that was conducted by females, and suggests social mechanisms that may help explain why perpetration by females is understood and treated differently than perpetration by males.

Victims and Perpetrators of Child Sexual Abuse: Abusive Contact and Penetration Experiences

Child sexual abuse (CSA) includes abusive contact experiences, which habitually impact the victim's whole life. This study aims to analyze the characteristics of six CSA experiences with physical contact, including penetration, in a representative sample of the Spanish population. Participants were 1071 Spanish adults (53% males; M_age: 45.37) who completed the Child Sexual Abuse Experiences Questionnaire. The victim's age at the first episode, the perpetrator's characteristics, and the number of times that each experience occurred were analyzed, taking into account gender differences. Results were reported for every experience independently. The most prevalent age at the first experience was from 6 years old onwards, but with differences in some experiences. The abuses usually happened more than once, committed by the same person. The most prevalent perpetrator is a male, although a female perpetrator is more prevalent in male victims. Most of the abuses were committed by an adult acquaintance, a strange adult, and other minors, with some gender differences. The implications of the results concerning every CSA experience are discussed, highlighting their value for future research and practice, the design of preventive programs, and early detection of CSA.

Injury Matters: On Female-Perpetrated Sex Crimes

Despite the importance of studying sexual assaults perpetrated by women, the field knows very little about female sexual offenders' (FSOs) use of violence or physical injury resulting from these assaults. This study draws more than 20 years of National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) data reported to police (1992-2014) to identify factors that distinguish between female perpetrated incidents of sexual assault that result in severe, minor, or no physical victim injuries above and beyond the sexual assault itself. Using a multinomial logistic regression model (MNLM), 15,928 incidents of FSO-perpetrated sexual assault were analyzed from the NIBRS. The results showed that the extent of victim injuries sustained during the sexual assault incidents was associated with a number of factors, including the presence of a female victim, the age of victim, a greater number of offenders, and the presence of weapons. In particular, incidents that resulted in major victim injuries were significantly associated with alcohol and drug use by the perpetrator. In general, incidents with young children were at increased risk of a sexual assault resulting in a major or minor victim injury. Although further investigation is needed to continue to better understand female sexual offending behaviors, these findings suggest that certain incident characteristics increase the likelihood of the assault to involve the use of violence by an FSO against her victims.

A Typology of Sex Offending Against Minors: An Empirical Study of Rape and Molestation Cases in China

Efforts to classify sexual offending and offenders continued to evolve over the years based on criteria such as offender and victim characteristics, offender-victim relationships, the nature of sexual offenses, and other situational factors. This current study draws up a typology of sexual offending against minors based on 436 adjudicated rape and child molestation cases in China. Specifically, sexual offending against minors is classified into six major categories, including opportunistic offenses, serial offenses, dating couple offenses, educator abuses, gang/party offenses, and incest offenses. Based on this empirical typology, a number of crime prevention measures are suggested. These suggestions aim at involving multiple players and institutions to focus on education, target hardening, and crime investigation. This study makes a significant contribution to comparative studies in this field, and the results could be potentially applied in other cultures.

The impacts of institutional child sexual abuse: A rapid review of the evidence

While awareness of institutional child sexual abuse has grown in recent years, there remains limited understanding of its occurrence and outcomes as a distinct form of abuse. Drawing on research commissioned by the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, this article presents a rapid review of available evidence on the impacts of institutional abuse on victim/survivors. Literature searches identified 75 sources spanning international peer reviewed work and reports to Government that document or quantify the impacts of mostly historical child sexual abuse occurring in religious, educational, sporting and residential or out-of-home care settings. Consistent with child sexual abuse in other contexts, institutional child sexual abuse is found to be associated with numerous, pervasive and connected impacts upon the psychological, physical, social, educative and economic wellbeing of victims/survivors. Further, institutional child sexual abuse is associated with vicarious trauma at the individual, family and community level, and with impacts to the spiritual wellbeing of victims/survivors of abuse that occurs in religious settings. The identified literature suggests the trauma of institutional child sexual abuse may be exacerbated by the interplay of abuse dynamics in institutional settings, which may reduce or impede circumstances supporting disclosure, belief, support and protection from future harm. Acknowledging the limitations of the present study and the available evidence, this narrative synthesis provides insights into the complex impacts of institutional child sexual abuse.

The unusual suspects: Female versus male accused in child sexual abuse cases

When women encounter the criminal justice system, it is typically as victims rather than as offenders. Consequently, there is limited empirical research on women who have sexually offended against children, but there is a clinically-significant group of victims who have experienced female-perpetrated child sexual abuse (CSA). In a database of 4237 CSA cases that were heard in criminal courts between 1986 and 2012, we found 70 cases that involved female accused. We compared female-accused cases against a randomly selected sample of 70 male-accused cases from the same database. We investigated associations between gender of the accused and characteristics of the victim, offense, and criminal proceeding. Several important differences between female- and male-accused cases were found: proportionally more male complainants were in female-accused cases; female-accused offenses were longer in duration; and despite offenses being similarly intrusive, female perpetrators received shorter sentences. This research indicates that there are potentially unique pathways to abuse for women and men, and unique experiences in the criminal justice system. Although female perpetrators are involved in a small proportion of CSA offenses, the cases that we describe herein are important to consider when developing appropriate support and intervention programs for offenders and victims of CSA.

The Psychological Assessment of Clerics

The psychological assessment of novice and experienced clerics is an important component of ordination, suitability, and risk evaluation to ensure that representatives of religious organizations are equipped, motivated, and safe for a life commitment to a faith vocation. It is the authors' opinion that such assessments should be conducted by skilled psychologists with expertise that covers occupational, clinical, and forensic domains. Further, the authors emphasize the importance of an objective and secular assessment to better inform the church about its role and responsibility for the oversight and spiritual development of the cleric. A thorough psychological assessment should incorporate a multimodal approach to information gathering, which includes a comprehensive review of background information and medical records, a personal history interview, a mental status examination, and administration of relevant psychometric measures and assessment tools. We also advise that, upon completion of the assessment, the requesting religious organization should be offered the opportunity to meet with the evaluating psychologist to discuss suitability issues and, if necessary, risk management planning.

Risk Factors for Sexual Offending in Men Working With Children: A Community-Based Survey

Identifying risk factors for sexual abuse in men who work with children and who have already abused a child could lead to more appropriate screening and prevention strategies and is thus of major scientific and societal relevance. A total of 8649 German men from the community were assessed in an extensive anonymous and confidential online survey. Of those, 37 (0.4 %) could be classified as child sexual abusers working with children, 90 (1.0 %) as child sexual abusers not working with children, and 816 (9.4 %) as men who work with children and who have not abused a child. We assessed the impact of working with children as an individual risk factor for self-reported child sexual abuse and compared personal factors, pedophilic sexual fantasies, deviant sexual behaviors, antisocial behaviors, and hypersexuality among the three groups. Most interestingly, working with children was significantly associated with a self-reported sexual offense against children; however, it explained only three percent of its variance. Child sexual abusers working with children admitted more antisocial and more sexually deviant behaviors than child sexual abusers not working with children and than men working with children who have not abused a child. Our findings support some of the suggestions made by other researchers concerning factors that could be considered in applicants for child- or youth-serving institutions. However, it has to be pointed out that the scientific basis still seems premature.

Risk Assessment in Child Sexual Abusers Working With Children

Child sexual abuse occurring in a child- or youth-serving institution or organization has attracted great public and scientific attention. In light of the particular personal and offense-related characteristics of men who have abused children within such an institution or organization, it is of special importance to evaluate the predictive performance of currently applied risk assessment instruments in this offender population. Therefore, the present study assessed the risk ratings and predictive performance of four risk assessment instruments and one instrument assessing protective factors concerning any, violent and sexual recidivism in child sexual abusers working with children (CSA-W) in comparison with extra-familial child sexual abusers (CSA-E) and intra-familial child sexual abusers (CSA-I). The results indicate that CSA-W mostly recidivate with a sexual offense. Although all included risk measures seem to function with CSA-W, the Static-99 seems to be the instrument that performs best in predicting sexual recidivism in CSA-W. CSA-W had the most protective factors measured with the Structured Assessment of PROtective Factors (SAPROF). While the SAPROF could not predict desistance from recidivism in CSA-W, it predicted desistance from any recidivism in all CSA. As CSA-W frequently hold many indicators for pedophilic sexual interests but only a few for antisocial tendencies, it can be suggested that CSA-W are at an increased risk for sexual recidivism and thus risk measures especially designed for sexual recidivism work best in CSA-W. Nevertheless, CSA-W also hold many protective factors; however, their impact on CSA-W is not clear yet and needs further study.

Pedophilic sexual interests and psychopathy in child sexual abusers working with children

Research has identified stable and dynamic characteristics in child sexual abusers working with children (CSA-W) that may distinguish them from other child sexual abusers (CSA). However, in previous research CSA-W have usually been included in the group of extra-familial CSA (CSA-E). Two hundred and forty-eight forensic-sexological reports about CSA conducted by the Federal Evaluation Centre for Violent and Sexual Offenders in the Austrian Prison System were evaluated retrospectively. One hundred and nineteen intra-familial CSA (CSA-I), 66 CSA-E, and 38 CSA-W were compared with regard to static risk factors, indicators of psychopathy, and pedophilic sexual interests. CSA-E had the highest risk of recidivism as measured by the Static-99 total score, followed by CSA-W. Furthermore, CSA-E had more previous convictions than CSA-W. Both CSA-E and CSA-I had higher total scores on the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised than CSA-W. CSA-W had the highest prevalence of pedophilia diagnoses according to DSM-IV-TR criteria, as well as the highest rate of pedophilia with an orientation toward male children, and the highest frequency of male victims. CSA-W also had the highest total scores in the Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests. CSA-W seem to constitute a group with particular risk factors and criminogenic needs, that is, they show more indicators of pedophilic sexual interests but less general antisociality and psychopathy, and would thus seem to be distinguishable from other CSA. Future research should focus in particular on evaluating differences in the grooming strategies used by CSA-W to commit and disclose child sexual abuse, as well as on the resources of this particular offender group.

A descriptive analysis of public school educators arrested for sex offenses

This study examined trends and patterns in public school teacher convictions in order to create a descriptive profile of teachers who have offended against their students. To accomplish this goal, the authors reviewed public records for demographic information as well as the history and frequency of teacher arrests and convictions in the southeastern United States from 2007 to 2011 and created an offender profile. Subsequent analyses were conducted to assess whether gender differences among sexual misconduct offenders existed in terms of the age of their alleged victim, the grade level in which they were employed at the time of arrest or indictment, and the manner by which their alleged crimes were revealed and charges were brought against them.

Sexual abuse in a classroom of ten male students: a group victimization

The term "professional perpetrator" is used to describe individuals who commit sexual abuse in the capacity of a position of trust such as a teacher, household member, or employer. There is an increasing body of evidence focusing on educator sexual abuse in the school environment. However, data are limited about this topic. The aim of this paper is to present the rare occurrence of the case of a male teacher in Turkey who sexually abused his students in an elementary school. Although it is unknown which populations are most vulnerable to sexual abuse, in Turkey we think that the indigenous population is at risk. Abuse cases are not logged into the criminal justice system because the majority of abuse allegations are ignored or disbelieved by families.

A description of sexual offending committed by Canadian teachers

The aim of this investigation was to describe teachers who sexually offend against youth and the circumstances related to these offenses. Archival Violent Crime Linkage Analysis System reports were obtained from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and demographic and criminal characteristics for the offender, as well as information about the victim and offense, were selected for analyses. A descriptive approach was used to analyze the qualitative reports for a group of 113 Canadian sexual offenders between 1995 and 2002. The results provide a description of adult male teachers who offended within their position of trust as well as offense and victim characteristics.

Sexual abuse by men who work with children

There is a dearth of knowledge about those who sexually abuse children while working in organizations. Here, we adopt a case study approach to examine this problem. We focus on eight adult males who had been imprisoned for abusing a total of 35 children while working in educational and voluntary settings. We provide a detailed account of abusers' characteristics, their strategies, how victims were selected, how trust was secured, and how victims' silence was ensured. Finally, we reflect on the extent to which our work might contribute toward the prevention of this form of abuse.