The prevention of sexual abuse of children and child protection system

The sexual crimes against children are very difficult to discover, the same goes for their investigation.

The relevant collaboration network in Estonia consists of the following parties: officers of child defence, social workers, psychologists, policemen, investigators, teachers, family doctors and other physicians, prosecutors, judges, revenue officers and detectives of frontier guard, other specialists who may come into contact with children, parents and other closer relatives, neighbours, acquaintances.

The levels besieging the sexual abuse of children and supporting their recovery could be provisionally divided into 5:

1)         family;

2)         the level of local government;

3)         the level of non-profit organisations;

4)         national level;

5)         society in general, among that the media.

In 2001 the Ministry of Social Affairs worked out a document helping each of those levels protect children from sexual abuse. On each level the possible ways to act as well as preventive means are brought.

1. Family

Family is the institution that is in charge of a child?s development, and for the fulfilment of children?s rights and duties. In case anything happens to a child it is the parents who protect him/her.

Whenever parents are assailed with doubts that their child has been used for something indecent, they at once inform an officer of child defence or a social worker of their local government, and police. They ask advice on further activities also from local or national confidential help-line or from a local support centre. The jeopardised children have possibility to go to a support or advising centre also themselves, they can also call on a confidential help-line and ask help also from the police.

If a child doesn?t have parents or if the parents have been deprived their parental rights and the local government has been appointed as the guardianship authority, it is the latter that protects the child from sexual abuse.

2. The level of local government

Local government ensures to the sexually abused child and to the members of the child?s family direct aid, or the arrangement of that. In local government an officer of child defence or a social worker is in charge of that, but also the police.

Whenever a specialist ? no matter if it is a medical worker or a teacher ? notices or suspects sexual abuse, it immediately informs to an officer of child defence or a social worker, and the police. When a local government finds out that some child has been sexually harassed by any means, it at once responds to that. Whenever doubts of sexual harassment of a child by a member of family are verified the child at once will be removed from that home.

The police provides with help to find the offender in every way. Each case of sexual abuse will be thoroughly examined, and by doing that the child gives unpleasant testimony just once. When the investigation has been successfully concluded the child will be supported also in court trial.

In co-operation with advising or support centres local government does everything to guarantee that the child recovers from the past. Collaboration with the family is also substantial.

The role of kindergartens and schools is notable as well. Already in kindergartens and at school boys and girls are taught correct conduct, behaviour on danger of sexual harassment, they are given sexual education and advises on safe use of internet. On the internet children are more and more tempted to behave unbecomingly, it is the internet where child pornography and other harmful information is too available for them. Co-operation, trust and exchange of knowledge between kindergarten, school and home on these matters is very essential, and avoid much harm.

Sometimes local governments arrange courses for parents to help them manage and avoid the relevant problems. Each local authority definitely knows, where sexually harassed children and their parents get advice. If possible such help should be made available within the territory of the same local authority.

Local government also protects the sexually abused children from the attention of media.

3. The level of non-profit organisations

Their role is as follows:

1) direct aid to the sexually abused children and to the members of their families. The organisations also originate programs on what to do with the people who have harassed children;

2) preventive work and informing publicity, educating people on how to avoid cases of sexual abuse;

3) various researches on the spread of the problem;

4) educating parents to help them avoid such problems ahead, and to solve them;

5) educating specialists who work with children so that they would know what is the essence of sexual abuse and how they could help children who have suffered that.

4. National level

The role is as follows:

1) continuous improvement of legislation so that the abused children would not be harmed in the process of investigation nor court trial;

2) national programmes and strategies on the obstruction and prevention of sexual abuse, instruction of county and local governments on the work with such children;

3) international collaboration;

4) informing publicity of the problem of sexual abuse.

5. Society in general, among that the media

It is very important that people would be aware of the problem of sexual harassment. Much can be achieved by the media, and by always keeping in mind the rights of the child. In Estonia the media has not always tried to protect the victims of sexual abuse, and has more than once made their names public.

During last years the subject of sexual abuse has been discussed in the media for many times.  Media companies usually respect the rights of children ? they do not make their names public and do not show their faces on television, or print in newspapers or journals the child?s real name, home address, information on the parents etc.

At the same time media tries also to keep from too direct attacks on the person who committed the offence, for also there is danger that the child offender could be judged by a mob law.

Published by   Estonia , Tartu Support Centre for Abused Children, Soonets Ruth(Estonia) Created   31.12.2002