Child Molestation Committed by Other Children Is a Serious Problem (From Child Sexual Abuse, P 51-56, 1998, Bruno Leone, Brenda Stalcup, et al, eds. - See NCJ-171702)

• NCJ Number: 171708
• Author(s): C Horowitz
• Date Published: 1998
• Length: 6 pages
• Sale Source: Greenhaven Press
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: At Issue: An Opposing Viewpoints Series

Annotation

Studies show that one-third of all cases of child sexual abuse are committed by other children and that many violent adult pedophiles began their activities as adolescents.

Abstract

The problem of children who molest other children is a serious one, but adolescent child molesters can be successfully treated through counseling and therapy programs. One such program has been developed in Portsmouth, Virginia, the Pines Treatment Center. This program offers adolescent sex offenders, who have often been abused themselves, the discipline and caring their lives previously lacked. Each child in the program has an individual therapist and is monitored 24 hours a day. Program participants are treated for all disorders, including learning disabilities and clinical depression. The family is an integral part of treatment, and the goal is to return children to their homes when possible.