W2C-017 Munster Express-2.txt
ALARMING CHILD SEX ABUSE FIGURES

The Community Child Centre at Waterford Regional Hospital dealt last year with 70 confirmed victims of child sex abuse and another 35 unconfirmed high risk cases.

The Centre, which serves the south east region with its 129,000 children, had 176 referrals "for further treatment and investigation" and in 40 p.c. of cases abuse was confirmed.

The unconfirmed high risk cases (20 p.c.) were children who were thought likely to have been victims but where the child's story was perhaps inconsistent or unclear in some respects.

A further 20 p.c. were classified as "unconfirmed low risk" - they did not make a definite disclosure of abuse.

The remaining 20 p.c. failed to complete their assessment at the Child Centre and they, according to Clinical Psychologist Dr. Mairi Keenleyside, who provided the statistics, may be particularly vulnerable.

"It may be that the families who fail to complete assessment have more problems but end up receiving less services"," stated Dr. Keenleyside, who is with Waterford Community Care.

"Dysfunctional families may find the assessment procedures particularly stressful and may end up receiving less services because they have opted out of the prescribed assessment procedure"."

When a child is being assessed at the Child Centre the gardai are involved and that may lead to legal procedures against the abuser. Children may be required to give evidence in court against an alleged perpetrator and many studies have shown that waiting for and taking part in court procedures is very stressful. That could lead to an exacerbation of emotional and behavioural problems, Dr. Keenleyside points out.

KILKENNY CASE

She said that in the U.S., other legal system designed to reduce child distress and to get the alleged abuser to comply with treatment, had been examined. It was suggested as a consequence that at least for intrafamilial first time offenders, a system whereby the alleged abuser was offered treatment prior to legal intervention was the most promising way forward.

She said that data published in the Kilkenny incest case report and taken from a study in the Eastern Health Board area in 1988 showed that of 990 cases of child sexual abuse reported to the board, 507 were referred by the gardai to the Director of Public Prosecutions. That resulted in 38 cases where the defendant was found guilty.

In other words, there were convictions only in respect of 4 p.c. of the original allegations.

TRAINING NEEDS

In highlighting some of the problems with the present system for processing cases of child sex abuse, Dr. Keenleyside said the training needs of professionals in contact with children required to be carefully addressed.

In particular, professionals needed to be more informed about abusers and to be aware of the protocol within their own agency for dealing with child sex abuse cases. They also needed further training in the practicabilities of dealing with children who made disclosures of abuse.

FEAR

She said also that more consideration should be given to children and families who made an initial disclosure but who then opted out of the prescribed system, perhaps through fear of legal implications for the alleged abuser.

She concluded that while obviously further development of services for victims of abuse was essential, treatment services for abusers should also be highlighted. Given the low rate of abusers who received treatment or who were prosecuted, there was perhaps a need to review the legal procedure for dealing with those cases.

(People concerned about abuse are advised by Dr. Keenleyside to contact their G.P., or their social services at Tel 015 - 76111).
