NCJ Number
142290
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 17 Issue: 2 Dated: (March-April 1993) Pages: 191-196
Date Published
1993
Length
6 pages
Annotation
The International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect and UNICEF sponsored the Third European Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, held in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in June 1991.
Abstract
The conference presenters consistently projected parent- child interactions onto the interactions of the State and professionals in their role of caring for families and children. Five primary elements of child sexual abuse that are harmful to these relationships were identified: traumatic penetration, threat to identity, psychological maltreatment, exploitation, and adaptation. Cross-cultural analyses revealed that each State's role in child sexual abuse is related to its historic development, present ideological and socioeconomic situation, and specific problems it encounters. Some of the countries discussed at the conference included Finland, Norway, the United Kingdom, Holland, Italy, Israel, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and the U.S. The goals identified at the conference addressed both the macro and micro levels. Child abuse needs to be analyzed within the context of family violence. Broader issues -- the unequal distribution of power between men and women, adults and children, rich and poor -- must be considered. Long-term goals should be to increase the value of childhood and develop and enhance legal systems that would recognize the primacy of developmental needs and promote self-esteem.