Understanding the Offline Criminal Behavior of Individuals Who Live Stream Child Sexual Abuse.

Live streaming of child sexual abuse (CSA) involves the procurement and viewing of sexual abuse of children across the internet in real time, in exchange for money. These offenses leave little tangible evidence of the offense beyond a financial transaction, and metadata relating to the live-streaming session. This research analyzed the demographic, criminal history, and financial transaction characteristics of 209 individuals who live streamed child sexual abuse. A machine learning clustering technique was implemented to consider whether there were sub-groups present among these offenders, and in particular the prevalence of contact sexual offending among any detected sub-groups. Findings revealed that offenders tend to engage in live streaming around the same age, before making regular transactions with facilitators at brief intervals, with the majority of offenders featuring limited criminal history. This analysis identified a notable sub-group of live-streaming offenders that also engaged in contact sexual offending. This is the first study to empirically demonstrate an intersection between live streaming of CSA, and contact sexual offenses against children and adults. This research highlighted the importance of financial transactions data in detecting, and disrupting this crime type. Further, the identification of an intersection between live-streaming CSA offenders, and contact sexual offenders suggests that these individuals may pose a risk to both local and international communities.

Sexual Violence of Liberian School Age Students: An Investigation of Perpetration, Gender, and Forms of Abuse.

This study examined the perpetration of sexual violence within the institutional setting of primary schools in Liberia using secondary analysis of data collected from 811 Liberian school aged participants (298 girls and 513 boys). The study looked specifically at the perpetration of: 1) sexual violation, 2) transactional sex, and 3) sexual coercion. Sexual violation was the most common form of sexual violence experienced, followed by sexual coercion, and then transactional sex. Findings showed statistically significant differences in experiences of transactional sex and sexual coercion, with girls more likely to experience both forms of violence. Further, girls were more likely to experience sexual abuse by a teacher and religious figure. Perpetration by teachers, school staff, and religious figures were all linked to transactional sex. Results showed that transactional sex was most highly statistically significantly associated with teachers while perpetration by a religious figure was statistically significantly associated with sexual coercion. Girls had three times of the odds of experiencing transactional sex and coercion. We conclude that there is a need for interventions to prevent sexual abuse from occurring in educational institutions. In particular, there is a need for protective mechanisms addressing the transactional nature of abuse with teachers and school staff.

The Links Between Sexual Abuse Severity, Running Away, and Parental Connectedness Among Youth at a Hospital-Based Child Advocacy Center.

PURPOSE: Runaway adolescents often have strained relationships with their parents. Given parental support is an important protective resource for traumatized young people, understanding differences in support within parent-adolescent relationships could aid in designing more effective interventions. We hypothesized (1) runaway adolescents seen at a Child Advocacy Center (CAC) would have poorer parental relationships than adolescents without a history of running away and (2) severity of diagnosed sexual violence would be associated with lower parental connectedness. METHODS: Data were from 2,042 adolescents aged 10-19 years and their parents evaluated for any reason at our hospital-based CAC from 2008 to 2017. Parent-adolescent relationship scales were completed by adolescents and at least one parent/guardian (usually mothers). Sexual abuse was stratified at four levels, higher levels indicating increasingly severe forms of abuse. T-tests and analyses of variance to tested relationships between supportive and controlling parental behaviors by runaway status, and, among runaways, by the severity of sexual abuse. RESULTS: Runaway adolescents comprised 58.3% of adolescents seen at the CAC; runaways reported lower parental support and higher parental controlling than patients without a history of running away. Those with the most severe forms of sexual abuse (including sexual exploitation and gang rape) reported the least supportive and most controlling relationships with parents, as did their parents. CONCLUSIONS: Findings support our clinical observations that polyvictimization of adolescents who have spent significant time as runaways may further strain parent-adolescent relationships. Future clinical research should focus on developing interventions to promote parental connectedness after a runaway episode.

Reoffending rates in a U.K. community sample of individuals with convictions for indecent images of children.

Although they remain a relatively small proportion of all identified sex offenders, there is increasing concern about individuals with offenses relating to indecent images of children (IIOC) online. This study examined the reoffending rates of a sample of IIOC-only (n = 584, 84.6%) and mixed IIOC-contact (n = 106, 15.4%) offenders who participated in a U.K. community intervention and the predictive validity of risk and psychological assessment outcomes. Proven reoffending rates were 24.8% for any reconviction and 12.6% for sexual reconvictions after a 13-year average follow-up. Rates differed significantly, with the mixed group 2 times more likely to receive any reconviction and 3 times more likely to receive a sexual reconviction. Only 2.7% of the IIOC-only group was convicted of a subsequent contact offense. Prior general offenses were found to be significantly predictive of general reconviction and prior sexual convictions were significantly predictive of sexual convictions, albeit with weak predictive power. Reliable change on treatment "domains" was not predictive of either general or sexual reconvictions. While lower reconviction rates do not minimize the seriousness of IIOC use, these findings highlight the need for comprehensive assessment of proven and self-reported offending history to make sound risk decisions and the need for larger samples with longer follow-ups and comparisons between detected and undetected IIOC users. The findings also raise questions about the nature and efficiencies related to treatment for a population in which rates of reconviction appear to be relatively low. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Child Sexual Abuse: Toward a Conceptual Model and Definition.

The problem of defining "child sexual abuse" (CSA), and the need to define this concept, has been recognized by major policy bodies and leading researchers since the 1970s. Recent demands for a more theoretically robust, explicit definition of CSA show this challenge remains urgent. In this article, we identify problems caused by variance in definitions of CSA for five domains: research and knowledge formation, legal frameworks and principles, prevention efforts, policy responses, and the establishment of social norms. We review and analyze definitions used in leading international epidemiological studies, national and international policy documents, social science literature, and legal systems in the United States, Canada, and Australia to demonstrate the continuing use of different concepts of CSA and identify key areas of conceptual disagreement. Informed by our literature review, we use a methodology of conceptual analysis to develop a conceptual model of CSA. The purpose of this model is to propose a more robust, theoretically sound concept of CSA, which clarifies its defining characteristics and distinguishes it from other concepts. Finally, we provide operational examples of the conceptual model to indicate how it would translate to a classificatory framework of typologies of acts and experiences. A sound conceptual model and classificatory system offers the prospect of more appropriate and effective methods of research, response, regulation, and prevention. While total consensus is unattainable, this analysis may assist in developing understanding and advancing more coherent approaches to the conceptual foundation of CSA and its operationalization.

Examining Ethno-Racial Related Differences in Child Molester Typology: An MTC:CM3 Approach.

Sex offender typologies have been developed in an effort to better understand the heterogeneity of sexual offending as well as offenders' varied risk and therapeutic needs. Perhaps the most well-known and validated child molester typology is the Massachusetts Treatment Center: Child Molester Typology-Version 3 (MTC:CM3). However, this typology was developed and validated using primarily White sex offenders. The current study aimed to replicate this typology in an ethno-racially diverse sample of incarcerated White, Black, and Latino child molesters ( N = 499). Overall, we found that the MTC:CM3 was applicable to non-White child molesters but that there were differences in the proportion of offenders of different ethno-racial groups in Axis I type classifications. We found no differences in Axis II type classifications. Specifically, Black offenders were more often classified as socially incompetent and sexually attracted to adults compared with White and Latino offenders. Whereas White offenders were more often classified as socially incompetent and sexually fixated on children when compared with Black offenders, Latino offenders were more often classified as high in social competence and sexually attracted to adults than Black offenders. On Axis II, the majority of all three subsamples were classified as not having sexual contact with children beyond the offense, unlikely to inflict physical harm on victims, and as not having sadistic interests. Addressing these typological characteristics in the development and implementation of prevention and treatment efforts might increase the responsiveness of specific sex offender populations.

Typologies of child sexual abuse: An analysis of multiple abuse acts among a large sample of Danish treatment-seeking survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

OBJECTIVE: The deleterious psychological effects of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) have been extensively documented in the research literature. A limitation of this research, however, has been a reliance on overly restrictive and limiting measurements of CSA. Researchers have most commonly referred to discrete instances of rape and molestation; however, evidence suggests that sexual abuse in childhood can include a wide array of acts and that individual survivors can endure many of these. METHOD: This study employed latent class analysis to identify homogeneous groups of adult CSA survivors characterized by similar typologies of sexual trauma within a large sample of Danish, treatment-seeking survivors of CSA and incest (N = 454). In total, 18 separate contact and noncontact abuse acts were modeled. Furthermore, the association between abuse-related variables (victim gender, the age at which the abuse started, duration of abuse, and perpetrator of abuse) and the resultant CSA groups, or classes, was estimated. RESULTS: Four homogeneous CSA groups were identified: an intercourse group, a high-verbal/low-contact group, a high-sexual-contact group, and a sexual-touch group. Some of the groups were distinguishable from others in terms of the frequency of the abuse and the type of perpetrator identified. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that "typologies" of CSA may provide a useful way to describe complex patterns of abuse while also facilitating future investigations of CSA outcome and treatment need. (PsycINFO Database Record

Patterns and predictors of violence against children in Uganda: a latent class analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To explore patterns of physical, emotional and sexual violence against Ugandan children. DESIGN: Latent class and multinomial logistic regression analysis of cross-sectional data. SETTING: Luwero District, Uganda. PARTICIPANTS: In all, 3706 primary 5, 6 and 7 students attending 42 primary schools. MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURE: To measure violence, we used the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Child Abuse Screening Tool-Child Institutional. We used the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire to assess mental health and administered reading, spelling and maths tests. RESULTS: We identified three violence classes. Class 1 (N=696 18.8%) was characterised by emotional and physical violence by parents and relatives, and sexual and emotional abuse by boyfriends, girlfriends and unrelated adults outside school. Class 2 (N=975 26.3%) was characterised by physical, emotional and sexual violence by peers (male and female students). Children in Classes 1 and 2 also had a high probability of exposure to emotional and physical violence by school staff. Class 3 (N=2035 54.9%) was characterised by physical violence by school staff and a lower probability of all other forms of violence compared to Classes 1 and 2. Children in Classes 1 and 2 were more likely to have worked for money (Class 1 Relative Risk Ratio 1.97, 95% CI 1.54 to 2.51; Class 2 1.55, 1.29 to 1.86), been absent from school in the previous week (Class 1 1.31, 1.02 to 1.67; Class 2 1.34, 1.10 to 1.63) and to have more mental health difficulties (Class 1 1.09, 1.07 to 1.11; Class 2 1.11, 1.09 to 1.13) compared to children in Class 3. Female sex (3.44, 2.48 to 4.78) and number of children sharing a sleeping area predicted being in Class 1. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood violence in Uganda forms distinct patterns, clustered by perpetrator and setting. Research is needed to understand experiences of victimised children, and to develop mental health interventions for those with severe violence exposures. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01678846; Results.

The Study of Reliability and Validity of the Korean Version of the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children.

The present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (TSCYC) including reliability and validity. The TSCYC is an instrument to identify trauma symptoms in children from age 3 to 12 yr by their caretakers. The Korean version of the TSCYC was administered to the caretakers of a normative group of 299 children (137 boys and 162 girls) aged 3 to 12 yr and a traumatized group of 73 sexually abused children (22 boys and 51 girls) aged 3 to 12 yr and their caretakers rated the TSCYC and the Child Behavior Checklist and the Child Sexual Behavior Inventory. Among normative group, 88 performed a re-test after 4 weeks. The internal consistency, Cronbach's alpha of total scale of the TSCYC was 0.92 (normative group) and 0.96 (traumatized group). For the nine clinical scales in the TSCYC, it ranged between 0.46-0.92 and 0.77-0.96, respectively. Test-retest correlation of the TSCYC was good (Pearson r score ranging 0.52-0.96). Correlations between the TSCYC and other measures of corresponding constructs were satisfactory. Regarding discriminant validity, the mean total score of the TSCYC was significantly higher in the traumatized children than in the normative group. This study demonstrated that Korean version of the TSCYC is a reliable measure with excellent internal consistency and good stability over 4-week test-retest interval. It can be recommended for clinicians to screen for trauma symptoms after child sexual abuse in Korean young children between the ages 3 and 12.

Risk and Criminogenic Needs of Youth Who Sexually Offended in Singapore: An Examination of Two Typologies.

An increasing amount of research has been carried out to understand the characteristics of subgroups of adult sex offenders, but there is limited research into the risk factors and criminogenic needs of subgroups of youth who sexually offended. The current study investigated if there were differences in the risk and criminogenic needs of 167 Singaporean youth who sexually offended based on two typologies - youth who offended both sexually and nonsexually versus youth who offended only sexually, and youth who offended against child victims versus youth who offended against nonchild victims. Results show that youth who offended both sexually and nonsexually were found to have higher risk and criminogenic needs as compared to youth who only sexually offended. In addition, youth who offended against child victims were found to have higher numbers of previous sexual assaults as compared to youth who offended against nonchild victims. These differences have implications for the management and intervention of youth who sexually offended.

The Study of Reliability and Validity of the Korean Version of the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children

The present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (TSCYC) including reliability and validity. The TSCYC is an instrument to identify trauma symptoms in children from age 3 to 12 yr by their caretakers. The Korean version of the TSCYC was administered to the caretakers of a normative group of 299 children (137 boys and 162 girls) aged 3 to 12 yr and a traumatized group of 73 sexually abused children (22 boys and 51 girls) aged 3 to 12 yr and their caretakers rated the TSCYC and the Child Behavior Checklist and the Child Sexual Behavior Inventory. Among normative group, 88 performed a re-test after 4 weeks. The internal consistency, Cronbach's alpha of total scale of the TSCYC was 0.92 (normative group) and 0.96 (traumatized group). For the nine clinical scales in the TSCYC, it ranged between 0.46-0.92 and 0.77-0.96, respectively. Test-retest correlation of the TSCYC was good (Pearson r score ranging 0.52-0.96). Correlations between the TSCYC and other measures of corresponding constructs were satisfactory. Regarding discriminant validity, the mean total score of the TSCYC was significantly higher in the traumatized children than in the normative group. This study demonstrated that Korean version of the TSCYC is a reliable measure with excellent internal consistency and good stability over 4-week test-retest interval. It can be recommended for clinicians to screen for trauma symptoms after child sexual abuse in Korean young children between the ages 3 and 12.

Sexual violence against children and vulnerability.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the demographic and epidemiological profile of children and adolescents victims of sexual violence treated in a Unit of Forensic Medicine and the relationship between victims and perpetrators. METHODS: A descriptive study, with data collection from information gathered from sex abuse reports performed in 2009 on victims of sexual violence aged less than 18 years. The data collection tool was a form filled out with demographic information about the victim - gender and age - and information regarding the sexual violence -, location of the occurrence, time elapsed between abuse and expert report, complaints reported, sexological examination findings, description of lesions outside the genital region, and aggressor's relationship to victim. RESULTS: In 2009, 421 individuals victim of sexual violence were assisted. Of those, 379 (90%) were younger than 18 years, and 66 cases were excluded from these reports. Most were female (81.2%). The most affected age group was 10 to 13 years old (36.7%), followed by 5 to 9 year-olds (30.7%). In most cases (86.3%), there were family or friendship ties between victims and perpetrators, being most frequently accused an acquaintance or friend of the family (42.3%), followed by the stepfather (16.6%) and the father (10.9%). CONCLUSION: The results are similar to other studies conducted in the country. This work aims at filling a gap caused by the lack of research on this topic in the State, hoping to collaborate to improve public policies against child sexual abuse.

[Pedophilia--a review of literature, casuistics, doubts]. / Pedofilia--przeglad literatury, ilustracja kazuistyczna, dylematy.

The main purpose of this article is presentation of several basic issues related to the phenomenon of child sexual molesters and recognition of pedophilia as a significant social problem. The article, supplemented by casuistic illustration showing adolescents with sexual behavior disorders is giving rise to the following question: do they progress in their inappropriate behaviors to grow into adult molesters or do they stop anywhere along the way of their development? Casuistry, in the intention of the authors, is the background for discussion about prevention of child sexual abuse. This article presents also a review of the current knowledge about child sexual molesters. The topics include: the definition of pedophilia itself, which varies in the literature depending on the types of activities, kinds of victims and the circumstances in which the perpetrator acts, through to the recognition of symptoms of pedophilia as well as its consequences. It includes both intra-familial and extra-familial child sexual abuse and their offenders. The more, that the history of child sexual abuse is associated with numerous long-term physical, psychological, behavioral, interpersonal and social effects on the victim. The examinations made among pedophilic molesters have shown structural and functional temporal-limbic abnormalities, including abnormalities in the amygdala and it is possible that the pedophilic inclinations are secondary to neurodevelopmental perturbations and other neuropsychiatric syndromes.

Differentiating single and multiple victim child sexual abuse cases: a research note considering social disorganization theory.

This study examined the utility of social disorganization theory as an explanation for child sexual abuse with a focus on differentiating single and multiple victim cases. Drawing on 1,172 child sexual abuse cases (including 159 cases with multiple victims) in Orange County, Florida, from 2004 to 2006, the present study considered case characteristics and elements of social disorganization as potential predictors of child sexual abuse cases involving single and multiple victims. We found that social disorganization theory does not successfully predict the locations of multiple victim child sexual abuse incidents and is not useful for distinguishing between child sexual abuse incidents with single or multiple victims.

Sexual violence against children and vulnerability / Violência sexual infantil e vulnerabilidade

Objective To analyze the demographic and epidemiological profile of children and adolescents victims of sexual violence treated in a Unit of Forensic Medicine and the relationship between victims and perpetrators. Methods A descriptive study, with data collection from information gathered from sex abuse reports performed in 2009 on victims of sexual violence aged less than 18 years. The data collection tool was a form filled out with demographic information about the victim – gender and age - and information regarding the sexual violence –, location of the occurrence, time elapsed between abuse and expert report, complaints reported, sexological examination findings, description of lesions outside the genital region, and aggressor’s relationship to victim. Results In 2009, 421 individuals victim of sexual violence were assisted. Of those, 379 (90%) were younger than 18 years, and 66 cases were excluded from these reports. Most were female (81.2%). The most affected age group was 10 to 13 years old (36.7%), followed by 5 to 9 year-olds (30.7%). In most cases (86.3%), there were family or friendship ties between victims and perpetrators, being most frequently accused an acquaintance or friend of the family (42.3%), followed by the stepfather (16.6%) and the father (10.9%). Conclusion The results are similar to other studies conducted in the country. This work aims at filling a gap caused by the lack of research on this topic in the State, hoping to collaborate to improve public policies against child sexual abuse. .

Objetivo analisar o perfil demográfico e epidemiológico das crianças e dos adolescents vítimas de violência sexual atendidos em uma Unidade de Medicina Legal e o vínculo entre as vítimas e os autores. Métodos estudo descritivo, com coleta de dados a partir das informações dos laudos sexológicos, realizados no ano de 2009, das vítimas de violência com menos de 18 anos de idade. O instrumento de coleta foi um formulário com informações sociodemográficas sobre a vítima – sexo, idade – e informações a respeito da violência sexual – local da ocorrência, tempo decorrido entre a violência e a perícia, queixas relatadas, achados do exame sexológico, descrição de lesões fora da região genital e vínculo entre a vítima e o agressor. Resultados no ano de 2009, foram atendidas 421 pessoas vítimas de violência sexual. Destas, 379 (90%) eram menores de 18 anos, tendo sido excluídos 66 indivíduos desses laudos. A maioria era do sexo feminino (81,2%). A faixa etária mais acometida foi a de 10 a 13 anos (36,7%), seguida por 5 aos 9 anos (30,7%). Na maioria dos casos (86,3%), havia vínculo familiar ou de amizade entre as vítimas e os acusados, sendo o mais frequente o acusado conhecido ou amigo da família (42,3%), seguido do padrasto (16,6%) e do pai (10,9%). Conclusão os resultados encontrados são semelhantes aos de outros estudos desenvolvidos no país. Este trabalho pretende preencher uma lacuna decorrente da escassez de pesquisas sobre esse tema no Estado, esperando colaborar nas políticas públicas de enfrentamento desse mal. .

A criminal careers typology of child sexual abusers.

We present a criminal careers typology of child sexual abusers constructed in terms of their offending persistence (persistent vs. limited) and versatility (specialized vs. versatile). Analyses were conducted on the official records of 362 convicted offenders, 213 of whom also provided confidential self-report data on their personal and offending histories. Forty-one percent of the sample were currently serving sentences for their first sexual offense conviction(s) but had at least one prior conviction for a nonsexual offense (limited/versatile); 36.4% had no previous convictions of any kind (limited/specialized); 17.8% had prior convictions for sexual and nonsexual offenses (persistent/versatile); and 4.8% had prior convictions for sexual offenses only (persistent/specialized). These four groups differed on a range of personal and offense-related variables, including abuse histories, sexual orientation, age at first sexual contact with a child, number of victims, duration of sexual involvement with victims, victim gender, and whether victims were familial or nonfamilial. These differences suggest the need to adopt different treatment and prevention strategies that target the specific characteristics of each group.

Parents' experiences of reporting child sexual abuse in urban Tanzania.

This article reports parental experiences of legally reporting child sexual abuse in Tanzania. Based on in-depth interviews, four types of sexual abuse incidents are portrayed. Each evokes different reactions from parents and the community. An incident characterized as the innocent child was associated with a determination to seek justice. The forced-sex youth elicited feelings of parental betrayal of their child. The consenting curious youth resulted in uncertainty of how to proceed, while the transactional-sex youth evoked a sense of parental powerlessness to control the child because of low economic status. Differentiating between types of sexual abuse incidents may increase awareness of the complexities of child sexual abuse reporting. Education on laws regulating sexual offenses and a functional national child protection system are needed to address child sexual abuse complexities and safeguard the rights of children in Tanzania.