Why are there still too many cases of child abuse that go unreported to the authorities?

On May 12th, the Marie Vincent Foundation reported the results of a survey aimed at measuring public reaction to children reporting the violence they have experienced.

How do you react to children who reveal they have been sexually or physically abused or who report witnessing conjugal violence? Those surveyed were asked to respond to a set of seven possible reactions covering each of the types of aggression.

1- My reaction will be to say to the child that telling me about it was the right thing to do

• Sexual abuse: 98.3%
• Physical abuse: 98.5%
• Witnessing conjugal violence: 97.3%

For the three types of aggression, the respondents almost unanimously agree that telling about it is the right thing to do.

2- My reaction will be to tell the child that she/he is not to blame

• Sexual abuse: 91.7%
• Physical abuse: 91.0 %
• Witnessing conjugal violence: 95.1%

About 9 people out of 10 will tell the child that she/he is not to blame in the case of sexual or physical abuse and slightly more (95%) are likely to say the same thing to young witnesses of conjugal violence, as if, in this last case, their innocence was more obvious.

3- My reaction will be to report the case to Youth Protection or to the police

• Sexual abuse: 95.0%
• Physical abuse: 92.5%
• Witnessing conjugal violence: 87.8%

It is interesting to notice that most people will report a case of sexual or physical abuse to the authorities, whereas the percentage drops slightly (88%) in the case of a child witnessing conjugal violence. Though this percentage is still robust, we can see that people are more hesitant concerning the need for a report when a child witnesses conjugal violence.

Is this because this last type of aggression is considered less serious, or because little is known about this phenomenon and its impact on the child?  In a family where the woman is a victim of conjugal violence, we know that 60% to 80% of the children will witness it, which amounts to about 20% of Québec children.

Research shows that children who witness conjugal violence develop emotional problems and behaviours similar to those who are subjected to physical abuse (low self-esteem, trouble dealing with their emotions). In school, such children often have trouble concentrating and are at risk of developing serious learning problems.

When a child reveals an act of aggression, most adults seem to know how to comfort the child and what steps should be taken to help her or him.  But does this apply to respondents whose emotional reactions to the questions asked include distrust, fear, anger, and disappointment? Can such reactions influence the way the adult will treat a child who needs help in reporting a case of abuse to the authorities? The next four questions shed more light on this matter.

4 - My reaction will be to question the child to obtain more information about what took place

• Sexual abuse: 94.3%
• Physical abuse: 81.1%
• Witnessing conjugal violence: 82.3%

5- My reaction will be to gather more evidence before reporting the incident to Youth Protection.

• Sexual abuse: 78.0%
• Physical abuse: 81.1%
• Witnessing conjugal violence: 82.3%

These statistics may reflect several kinds of reactions. The adult may not believe the child. Or perhaps the situation revealed arouses curiosity, distrust, fear of reporting false information, anxiety. When a child confides such things, how can we not be overwhelmed by a storm of feelings and questions? What actually happened? What did the aggressor do? What is the aggressor’s name? Where did the incident take place?

Now imagine that this child is your nephew, your niece or your own child.  A number of very strong emotions will immediately surface. However, most adults don’t know that asking the child for more details about what she/he has been through can often be quite harmful.

In fact, the more the child repeats her/his story, the more likely this story is likely to change according to the reactions of the adult who is listening.  If this adult seems angry or sad, it may influence the way the child reports the facts. It is thus very important to believe what the child says and to report the case immediately to the authorities (Youth Protection or the police). This is the best way to make sure the child is protected.

6 - My reaction will be to obtain the alleged aggressor’s version of the facts

• Sexual abuse: 36.2%
• Physical abuse: 42.2%
• Witnessing conjugal violence: 45.5%

7 - My reaction will be to promise the child that I won’t tell anybody if she/he asks me not to.

• Sexual abuse: 46.3%
• Physical abuse: 49.7%
• Witnessing conjugal violence: 49.5%

We note that, even though most adults know what to do, half of the respondents are willing to promise the child not to tell anyone else, if the child so asks. The adult is torn between knowing that the abuse must be reported and the promise not to tell made to the child. We understand that the emotional factor will alter our decision in this sort of situation. The adult who feels unable to help the child may prefer to remain silent if the child so asks.

This reaction can also be explained by the fear of hurting the child. The child is already terrified enough and it is hard to know how to deal with such distress. The adult may feel deeply upset, overwhelmed, fearful of the consequences for the aggressor (when the latter is known); may dread the idea of becoming involved in a lengthy legal process, of having to testify against a friend or a relative. The adult may even think that the child is lying and prefer to cover for the aggressor to the detriment of the child. Knowing that in 84% of cases the aggressor is known to the victim, many adults will lean toward settling the situation themselves without calling on the authorities. Children are thus deprived of therapeutic services which could help them get through their ordeal.

Children who have been through one or several incidents of abuse need significant adults who are willing to help and support them no matter how demanding this may be.  When young victims of violence asks the adults in whom they confide to keep what they reveal a secret, this request must be heard as a sign of fear and possibly of distress and not as a solution to the situation.  The child-victim is not capable of deciding whether this situation should or should not be reported to the authorities and is even less capable of knowing what kind of help is available. She/he is in dire need of support from the adults around her/him.

 

Methodology

• Telephone survey conducted by the Écho firm between April 23 and May 12 2008 

• Non-stratified probabilistic sample representative of the Québec population 

• 1,000 respondents age 18 and over

• Margin of error: 3%

• Rate of response: 31.3%

• Respondent distribution: 51.6% female, 48.4% male