Cultural Issues in Disclosures of Child Sexual Abuse

• NCJ Number: 232704
• Journal: Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 19 Issue: 5 Dated: September-October 2010 Pages: 491-518
• Author(s): Lisa Aronson Fontes; Carol Plummer
• Date Published: September 2010
• Length: 28 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: For additional articles in this special issue see NCJ-232703 and NCJ-232705-08.

Annotation

This article explores cultural issues in the disclosure of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) and culturally competent ways to facilitate disclosures.

Abstract

Cultural norms affect the likelihood that child sexual abuse will be discovered by an adult or disclosed by a child. Cultural norms also affect whether abused children's families will report child sexual abuse to authorities. This article explores the ways ethnic and religious culture affect child sexual abuse disclosure and reporting, both in the United States and internationally. Guidelines for culturally sensitive child abuse interviewing are provided to facilitate disclosures of abuse from culturally diverse children in formal settings. (Published Abstract)