| CODE | COU1001 | ||||||
| TITLE | Potential Victims of Sexual Abuse | ||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Counselling | ||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The study-unit seeks to expound and explore significant findings from the considerable and markedly complex body of research that is currently available on the topic of child sexual abuse: ways of identifying the possibility that a child has in fact been abused; the risk and protective factors that contribute to whether a child experiences abuse in childhood or otherwise, the question of how to best safeguard children so as to prevent such abuse from taking place; the complexity of intra-familial child sexual abuse and its impact on the family and the issue of systemic and institutional child abuse. It proposes to study the phenomenon of child victims of sexual abuse through a review of current theoretical paradigms, the examination of case study research, the analysis of high profile case examples, and video expositions of real life situations. Study-unit Aims: This study-unit proposes to study the potential child victim of sexual abuse from an evidence-based perspective. By highlighting both the salient and less known characteristics and behaviours of child victims, it seeks to impart reliable and research- based knowledge to the course participants with an aim at assisting them in safeguarding children from such abuse. It also aims to explore different environments where child sexual abuse may take place, and what facilitates and deters it from happening, in an effort at reducing risk factors in these environments and promoting protective ones. In addition, it intends to explore the factors inherent in child sexual abuse from a biopsychosocial perspective by taking into consideration both individual and systemic elements. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - describe the characteristics and behaviours of potential victims of child sexual abuse; - explain how risk factors can contribute to the possibility of child sexual abuse happening; - discuss various protective factors that could be instrumental in preventing a child from becoming a victim of child sexual abuse; - demonstrate an understanding of the issues inherent in intra-familial child sexual abuse and the effects on the family; - demonstrate an understanding of systemic and institutional child sexual abuse and possible ways of addressing such abuse from a prevention perspective. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - identify the signs and symptoms of child sexual abuse; - evaluate the individual-focused factors that could place a child at risk of becoming a victim of child sexual abuse; - monitor and intervene with those factors that could predispose a child to sexual abuse; - identify possible potentiating factors for child sexual abuse within the places they frequent including families, organisations and institutions; and - recommend interventions and courses of action to reduce the possibility of child sexual abuse happening within those environments. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts - Crossen-Tower, C. (2014). Confronting Child and Adolescent Sexual Abuse. Thousand Oaks, C.A.: Sage Publications Inc. - Goodyear - Brown, P. (Ed.) (2011). Handbook of Child Sexual Abuse: Identification, Assessment, and Treatment. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Supplementary Readings - Alaggia, R. (2004). Many ways of telling: expanding conceptualizations of child sexual abuse disclosure. Child Abuse & Neglect, 28, 1213-1227. - Alaggia, R. (2005). Disclosing the trauma of child sexual abuse: A gender analysis. Journal of Loss & Trauma, 10, 453-470. - Bentovim, A. (1995). Trauma organised systems. London, UK: Karnac. - Crisma, M., Bascelli, E., Paci, D., & Romito, P. (2004). Adolescents who experienced sexual abuse: Fears, needs and impediments to disclosure. Child Abuse & Neglect, 28, 1035-1048. - Davies, E.A. & Jones, A.C. (2013). Risk Factors in Child Sexual Abuse. Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine 20.3: 146-50. Web. - Dodsworth, J. (2017). The Northamptonshire Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation Toolkit: A Toolkit to Raise Awareness and Share Strategies to Ensure Early Help Is Provided to Children and Young People at Risk of Child Sexual Exploitation by Northamptonshire Safeguarding Children Board, 2015. (Available: http://www.northamptonshirescb.org.uk/about‐northamptonshire‐safeguarding‐children‐board/publications/cse‐toolkit/) Child Abuse Review 26.6: 477-78. Web. - Farrell, L. G. (1988). Factors that affect a victim’s self-disclosure in father–daughter incest. Child Welfare, 67, 462–468. - Finkelhor, D., & Browne, A. (1985). The traumatic impact of child sexual abuse: A conceptualisation. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 55, 530-541. - Friedrichs, W. N. (2002). Psychological assessment of sexually abused children and their families. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. - Furniss, T. (1990). The multiprofessional handbook of child sexual abuse. London, UK: Routledge. - Goode, H., McGee, H., & O’Boyle, C. (2003). Time to listen: Confronting child sexual abuse by catholic clergy in Ireland. Dublin, Ireland: Liffey Press. - In a Global Response to Child Sexual Abuse Scandals, the Vatican Is Harnessing the Power of the Internet to Help Safeguard Children and the Victims of Molestation. (Dispatch From Abroad). Children's Voice Magazine 20.5 (2011): 28. Web. - Jensen, T. K., Gulbrandsen, W., Mossige, S., Reichelt, S., & Tjersland, O. A. (2005). Reporting possible sexual abuse: A qualitative study on children’s perspectives and the context for disclosure. Child Abuse & Neglect, 29, 1395-1413. - Kinross, K., Jaimeson, & Hodes. (2014). G163 Characteristics of Children Referred for Concerns regarding Sexual Abuse. Archives of Disease in Childhood 99.Suppl 1: A72-A72. Web. - Lalor, K., & McElvaney, R. (2010). Child sexual abuse, links to later sexual exploitation/ high risk sexual behavior and prevention/treatment programmes. Trauma, Violence and Abuse, 11, 159-177. - Lemaigre, C., Taylor, E. & Gittoes, C. (2017). Barriers and Facilitators to Disclosing Sexual Abuse in Childhood and Adolescence: A Systematic Review. Child Abuse & Neglect 70: 39-52. Web. - McGee, H., Garavan, R., deBarra, M., Byrne, J., & Conroy, R. (2002). The SAVI report: Sexual abuse and violence in Ireland. Dublin: The Liffey Press. - Mudaly, N., & Goddard, C. (2006). The truth is longer than a lie: Children’s experiences of abuse and professional interventions. London, UK: Jessica Kingsley. - Pearce, J. (2014). 'What's Going On’ to Safeguard Children and Young People from Child Sexual Exploitation: A Review of Local Safeguarding Children Boards’ Work to Protect Children from Sexual Exploitation. Child Abuse Review 23.3, 159-70. Web. - Pyburn, S. (2017). "Abuse of Trust." Journal of Family Health 27.3, 12. Web. - Kelly, S., Wijkman, M., Slotboom, A. & Hendriks, J. (2018). Comparing Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse and Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: A Systematic Literature Review on Research Methods and Consequences. Aggression and Violent Behavior 41: 62-73. Web. - Staller, K. M., & Nelson-Gardell, D. (2005). “A burden in your heart”: Lessons of disclosure from female preadolescent and adolescent survivors of sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 29, 1415-1432. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Independent Study | ||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Carly Zarb Roberta Attard |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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