Science and child sexual abuse: Navigating the pathway between emotion and objectivity
Abstract
Child sexual abuse is an issue that generates strong emotions, but scientific analysis of the problem demands dispassionate objectivity. This paper explores the tension between these two opposing responses. The scientific analysis of child sexual abuse can produce results that conflict with accepted wisdom. Research findings, such as those showing that victims of child sexual abuse do not necessarily suffer long-term psychological harm, can be misinterpreted to suggest support for the normalisation of child sexual abuse and risk provoking a backlash. In order to develop effective evidence-based prevention strategies researchers may need to challenge popularly held beliefs about child sexual abuse, taking care to do so in a way that recognises the sensitivities surrounding the topic.
Description
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Article
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Keywords
child sexual abuse, Rind controversy, prevention, Crime science
Citation
Wortley, R. K. (2015). Science and child sexual abuse: Navigating the pathway between emotion and objectivity. Crime Science, 4(1), 1-3.