Mental health articles

Identification of victims of child sexual abuse Statutes at both the state and federal levels are largely sufficient to provide for the identification of victims of child sexual abuse. The problem is primarily in the implementation of these statutes. Therefore, only two suggested changes to existing statutes are made, First, it is suggested that CAPTA be amended to explicitly require equal access to resources for victims of both intrafamilial and extrafamilial abuse. Second, it is recommended that all states amend their statutes so that equal access to resources is guaranteed for victims of both intrafamilial and extrafamilial abuse. It is further recommended that the federal government provide heightened supervision so that states are denied funds if they cannot implement equal access to resources for victims, Such a strategy would also require increased funding by the federal government so that states had budgets necessary to implement equal access. It is further recommended that an appeal system be developed so that parents who believe their child was inaccurately assessed as not having been abused have adequate recourse to provide for their child’s safety. Appeals could be considered by a multidisciplinary specialty team outside child protective services. This type of appeal would be especially beneficial to parents involved in custody and divorce disputes who had reason to suspect that their child was abused but whose request for investigation was denied.

Tags: child, sexual abuse