Child sexual abuse: Raising awareness and empathy is essential to promote new public health responses

Springer Science and Business Media LLC - Tập 37 - Trang 304-314 - 2016
Ben Mathews1, Delphine Collin-Vézina2
1Australian Centre for Health Law Research, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
2McGill University Montreal, Canada

Tóm tắt

Child sexual abuse is a major global public health concern, affecting one in eight children and causing massive costs including depression, unwanted pregnancy, and HIV. The gravity of this global issue is reflected by the United Nations’ new effort to respond to sexual abuse in the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals. The fundamental policy aims are to improve prevention, identification, and optimal responses to sexual abuse. As shown in our literature review, policymakers face difficult challenges because child sexual abuse is hidden, psychologically complex, and socially sensitive. This article offers new ideas for international progress. Insights about needed strategies are informed by an innovative multidisciplinary analysis of research from public health, medicine, social science, psychology, and neurology. Using an ecological model comprising individual, institutional, and societal dimensions, we propose that two preconditions for progress are the enhancement of awareness of child sexual abuse, and of empathic responses towards its victims.

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Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Tập 37

304-314

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