Ethics and Issues of Secondary Prevention Efforts in Child Sexual Abuse

Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol. 2018 Jul;62(9):2548-2566. doi: 10.1177/0306624X17723951. Epub 2017 Aug 23.

Abstract

This article discusses the ethical, practical, and moral issues surrounding secondary prevention efforts of child sexual abuse from a professional and practice-based perspective. Transcripts of a semistructured consultation event with n = 15 international experts on the secondary prevention of child sexual abuse were analysed using thematic qualitative analysis. The research identified four main critical areas linked to secondary prevention efforts, including, the psychology of self-reporting and disclosure; the interaction with and within existing legal, social, and professional frameworks; the scale and type of an appropriate response; and potential hurdles (i.e., within media, public, politics). The article outlines these areas, highlighting participant perspectives on risk-enhancing and mitigating factors for each domain.

Keywords: child sexual abuse; ethics; prevention; public health approach; treatment.

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Child Abuse, Sexual / prevention & control*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Secondary Prevention / ethics
  • Secondary Prevention / methods*