NCJ Number
176473
Date Published
1994
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Child victimization and child abuse are discussed with respect to their incidence, risk factors, and impacts, based on national statistics and research finding on these topics.
Abstract
The commission learned that child sexual abuse is widespread, secret, and destructive phenomenon in Virginia and the United States. The human cost cannot be measured in numbers, but the cost to society can be measured. Recommended changes to the legal structure include eliminating the parental exception for child pornography and amending the State Constitution so that the Virginia General Assembly can enact retroactive legislation to enable adult survivors of child sexual assault to sue for damages for intentional personal injury. Virginia should also ensure that every child sexual assault victim has a trained case manager who is a member of a local multidisciplinary team and should make major new investments in mental health treatment services for sexually abused children and adults molested as children. Prevention efforts should include the creation of a sexual abuse prevention component in the State's Family Violence Prevention Program and a major media campaign to educate the public. Additional recommendations and copies of correspondence related to the Commission's efforts