Children are the most vulnerable groups of people in our society. Their young age and innocence get taken advantage of more than everyone else in our culture. They are often looked upon as easy target for sexual and physical abuse by the other older members of society since they usually lack the strength and consciousness to comprehend what is morally right and wrong. Thus making them more deceptible to sexual predators, which in fact supports the proposition of this paper. This paper will analyze the victims of childhood sexual abuse, predators, the role of the Gatehouse, and how effective the treatment methods are for both victims and offenders. Before discussing the victims of child sexual abuse, it's a wise idea to understand and define …show more content…
However, many agencies have begun to operate across the country to provide solutions for the victims of child sexual abuse. One of these agencies are The Gatehouse located at 3101 Lakeshore Blvd West, Toronto. Opened in June of 1990 under the supervision of Arthur Raymond Lockhart with the intentions and the mission to help and support the victims of child abuse by allowing them a safe place to tell their stories, connect with others and regain their lost potential (The Gatehouse, n.d.). Almost three decades later the house still functions to uphold the vision and the values inspired by its founder. Now the house host various different types of events and practices such as counselling, trauma, peer support and emotional support to assist and care of the victims of child abuse who can range from children, youths or even adults and while doing so, it also attempts to bring in the concept of community building by allowing volunteers and other members of the community to contribute to the house by means of donation (The Gatehouse, n.d.). Furthermore, over the course of last few years, the house has developed a healthy relationship with law enforcement especially with Toronto police and Ontario Provincial Police. The Gatehouse acts as a bridge between law enforcement and victims of child …show more content…
But, the question still arises as to how effective those treatment methods are. Quite often if the victims of child sexual abuse are not treated in a right manner, they could develop symptoms of fear, PTSD, behaviour problems and low self-esteem concluded by a study published in the American Psychology Association. However, the severity of the symptoms is depended on various factors like the frequency of abuse, force and the relationship with the predator (Kendall-Tackett, A, Williams, & Linda, 1993). On the other hand treatment of offenders is also very important because otherwise, they will continue to dive deeper into their twisted fantasies and possibly hurt and harm more victims. A 2002 report published by public safety Canada found sexual offenders who received treatment were less likely to re-offend when compared to offenders that did not receive any treatment. Following the treatment of the offenders, the rate of recidivism went down from 17% to 10% (Public Safety Canada, 2002). A meta-analysis for treatment of the children who have experienced child sexual abuse found that treatment does indeed help to reduce the adverse effects of the horrific experience (Trask, Walsh, & DiLillo, 2011). In short, both the victims and offenders need treatment for two opposite reasons. Both treatment options are super effective with them both
Letourneau, E. J., Henggeler, S. W., Borduin, C. M., Schewe, P. A., McCart, M. R., Chapman, J. E., & Saldana, L. (2009). Multisystemic therapy for juvenile sexual offenders: 1-year results from a randomized effectiveness trial. Journal of Family Psychology, 23(1), 89-102.
The United States Bureau of Justice Statistics (2011) reveals an estimated 747,408 sex offenders were registered in the United States as of 2010. This number shows an increase of over seven thousand from the previous year. According to Vivian-Bryne (2004), therapeutic treatment for sex offenders is one approach to address the issue of sexual offense and reduce numbers. Although the idea of therapeutic treatment for sex offenders can raise skepticism, a myriad of therapeutic treatment models are available (Polizzi, MacKenzie & Hickman, 1999). This paper will establish the important complexities surrounding therapeutic treatment of sex offenders, including treatment effectiveness, challenges of treatment schemas, and recidivism. Peer reviewed articles regarding therapeutic treatment for sex offenders will be reviewed and the validity of these sources will be discussed.
In this essay, two theories specifically focusing on sexual offending against children are compared and critical evaluated. Finkelhor’s (1984) Precondition model integrates four underlying factors that might explain the occurrence of child sexual abuse and categorizes them into four preconditions: motivation to offend, overcoming internal inhibitors, overcoming external inhibitors and overcoming child’s resistance that occur in a temporal sequence where each is necessary for the other to develop. The Precondition model provides a framework for assessment of child molesters but is criticized for a lack of aetiological explanations and for paying to little attention to cognitive factors. Ward’s (2003) Pathways model suggest that clinical phenomena evident among child sex offenders are generated by four distinct and interacting mechanisms: intimacy and social skills deficits, distorted sexual scripts, emotional dysregulation and cognitive distortions where each mechanism generates a specific offence pathway. Both theories have been influential in providing treatment goals and informing clinical assessment of child sexual abusers.
The effects of childhood sexual abuse carry on with the children forever. To what extent and to what effect does abuse have on children during adulthood? What are the main issues that adults have been abused suffer from in adulthood? Do they have more of a physical issue with preforming with their partner in the bedroom or do they have more of a mental block due to their trauma? The world had been asking these questions for far too long and we need answers on how helping the children of our world. The questions that have been stated have been answered through the two articles that will be summarized below.
It is a common stereotype that all sex offenders have some form of psychopathy, and therefore they cannot be treated, however most sexual offenders do not have major mental illness or psychological maladjustment (Ward, Polaschek and Busch, 2006), therefore it is not impossible to treat them. Finkelhor’s (1984) precondition model was made with the assumption that the psychopathology of an individual will only take us so far in explaining sexually abusive behaviour, Finkelhor states that 4 stages of preconditions must exist before sexual abuse can take place, these are; Primary motivation to abuse a child sexually, overcoming of internal and external inhibitions and dealing with a child’s resistance to sexual abuse, for each subsequent precondition to occur the previous one must be achieved. Finkelhor argues th...
Burton, D. & Smith-Darden, J., North American Survey of Sexual Abuser Treatment and Models 2000, Brandon, VT: Safer Society Foundation, 2001.
This paper outlines the consequences of child sexual abuse (CSA) based on the examination of results from multiple researches previously fulfilled concerning the psychological and physical impact of this crime, information of statistics, warning signs detected, victims’ performances, and emotional state. Sexual abuse causes severe trauma on child victims that will last for the course of their lives, therefore it is critical to identify and improve the therapeutic methods utilized to treat CSA survivors.
Thousands of sex abuse cases with children are disclosed in the U.S. every year. The actual amount of young people that are raped and molested is even higher. But as laws change frequently, it’s still a mystery on how to treat sex offenders to prevent such crimes. “Sex offender programs/strategies represent various approaches used to prevent convicted sex offenders from committing future sex offenses. These approaches include different types of therapy, community notification, and standardized assessments (CSOM).” Most programs are held in prison and/or in the community to manage sex offenders (Olver). Approaches that can help prevent these crimes are, the cognitive-behavioral approach, which focuses on changing the thinking patterns related to sexual assaulting and also altering evil ways of sexual behavior. The psycho-educational approach is another approach, which focuses on increasing offenders' empathy for the victim while also teaching them to take responsibility for their sexual offenses. Standardized assessment tools are also highly effective, ultimately used to increase the likelihood of treatment efficacy and/or to identify individuals at high risk of reoffending. With these approaches, “it is important to include all partners who may be involved in the management of sex offenders such as law enforcement, corrections, victims’ organizations, treatment programs, courts, prosecutors and other stakeholders. These partners can provide valuable information in assessing the effectiveness and efficacy of sex offender programs and strategies (O’Donnell).”
An estimated 39 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse exist in America today (Darness2Light, 2009a ). This figure continues to grow daily as perpetrators of this crime continue in this destructive path. The definition of child sexual abuse is the force, coercion, or cajoling of children into sexual activities by a dominant adult or adolescent. Sexual abuse of children includes touching (physical) sexually including: fondling; penetration (vaginal or anal using fingers, foreign objects or offenders organs; oral sex, or non-physical contact including: sexual comments; indecent exposures; masturbating in a child’s presence; child prostitution or child pornography (Child Welfare, 2009a).
Children who have been abused are left with more than just physical scars. They have many psychological, emotional, and behavioral problems as well. Their social lives are affected dramatically, and they suffer lifelong effects. (Lambert) Children tend to be emotionally disturbed years after the abuse, many have IQ scores lower than average, and some have even been classified as mentally retarded. Children who have been abused also show signs of personality and neurological changes. (Oates 119) Sexual abuse has been linked to nightmares, bed wetting, sadness, clinging behavior, and anxiety. Children also showed more aggressive and anti-social behaviors. (Oates 127) Adults who were sexually abused are more prone to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and drug or alcohol problems. (Oates 132-133) Studies show overwhelming evidence of the effects abuse can have on a child, and the way the effects continue into their adult lives. (Oates 135)
Sex offenders have been a serious problem for our legal system at all levels, not to mention those who have been their victims. There are 43,000 inmates in prison for sexual offenses while each year in this country over 510,000 children are sexually assaulted(Oakes 99). The latter statistic, in its context, does not convey the severity of the situation. Each year 510,000 children have their childhood's destroyed, possibly on more than one occasion, and are faced with dealing with the assault for the rest of their lives. Sadly, many of those assaults are perpetrated by people who have already been through the correctional system only to victimize again. Sex offenders, as a class of criminals, are nine times more likely to repeat their crimes(Oakes 99). This presents a
There are several domains that must be considered when treating a survivor of child abuse: the need for safety and trust, sense of belonging, protection from perceived or actual threats, facing the defendant in court, prevention of revictimization, and empowerment (Sawyer & Judd, 2012). Davis, 2005, states that “children terrorized through sexual abuse, neglect, physical abuse, or wartime atrocities may suffer from lasting wounds, nightmares, depression, and troubled adolescence involving substance abuse, binge eating, or aggression.” Victims of child abuse need to regain their sense of control over their lives. Experiencing healthy relationships, being nurtured by adults and helping them to learn resilience are all interventions that have been well-documented (Sawyer & Judd, 2...
There are many different types of victims we have discussed over the course of this class, but we’re only going to talk about two types in the following paper. These two types of victims are common just as any another victim across America. These include sex assault victims and child abuse victims, which are both primary victims in cases. The two share a tie together, both are a victim of abuse and can cause lifelong consequences, but they also pose many differences as well. Many questions arise when talking about victims, for example why is a child or adult being abused and what are the life altering affects to these actions. Throughout this paper we discuss both sexual assault victims and child abuse victims and compare and contrast between the two.
More importantly, “60 percent of children who are sexually abused do not disclose and most are acquaintances but as many as 47 percent are family or extended family” (The Scope of, 2016). The prevalence of child sexual abuse is difficult to determine because it is often not reported; experts agree that the incidence is far greater than what is reported to authorities (Child Sexual Abuse, 2012). Startling statistics represent the depth of the issue. Globally, prevalence rates show that a range of 7-36% of women and 3-29% of men experience sexual abuse in childhood (The Scope of, 2016). “The U.S Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Bureau report child maltreatment 2010 found that 9.2% of victimized children were sexually assaulted” (Child Sexual Abuse,
The treatment of childhood maltreatment effects s still in its infancy, however. It is likely that the next decade will bring with it a burfeoning of treatment techniques and approaches relevant to child abuse sequale. As this field develops, so too grows the opportunity for clincians to provide increasingly more effective services to abuse survivors. To the extent that child abuse trauma underlies a significant proportion of modern mental health problems, these developments are likely to have substantial implications for mental health practice in the years to come. (P.163)