Prediction and prevention of sexual assaults on children

AuthorLiliana Lacramioara Pavel
PositionSenior Lecturer, PhD, 'Danubius' University of Galati, Faculty of Law, Romania
Pages71-76
Legal Sciences
71
Prediction and Prevention of Sexual Assaults on Children
Liliana Lcrmioara Pavel
1
Abstract: Unfortunately, in the reality of modern society, more and more negative phenomena appear, which
affect us directly or indirectly, both directly us and the dir ection to whic h the society is heading, the most
affected being the children. Their vulnerability makes them tar gets of various types of abuses and aggressions
committed by adults. The studies show an alarming dynamics of some phenomena where the childr en have an
important place among the victims. Unfor tunately, in Romania, this phenomenon has not been one of the
priorities. In this study, we shall tr y to identify the reas ons that represent the basis of children victimization,
the immediate and long term ef fects upon the victims, the social environment that favors it as well as the
prevention and fighting measures against these aggressions.
Keywords: child abuse; sexual abuse; prophylaxis
1. Introduction
Giving and defending children’s right to a private life, to intimacy and a normal life, we have the
guarantee that they shall have an optimum development in normal conditions, being able to prevent
the situations when his existence and development are endangered due to abuses in general, the sexual
ones in particular..
The effects of sexual abuses are profound and negative, and many times they follow the under age
child in all his growing stages, including maturity, in most cases the victim becoming, in time, a copy
of his aggressor. From this we can infer the importance of a proper treatment of sexual abuse and pay
a special attention to the traumas experienced in childhood.
The best method of treatment and prevention is to know and understand the child’s needs based on his
development stages, a correct understanding by parents and adults with whom he interacts (educators,
teachers, social workers, psychologists, or other health professionals), an important role among them
being played also by mass-media as aggressions can be identified or prevented in their early stages.
Another important aspect is related to abusers. The measure consisting only of deprivation of liberty is
not enough, the statistical data showing that many of the abusers commit the same crimes once they
are released from prison. Considering that the way this problem is approached in USA is not a solution
as there the convicted pedophiles (and here we also include incestuous fathers) are stigmatized this
meaning that they have the obligation to i nform local authorities if they move to another community,
and in their turn and by open means (newspapers, posters, notifications to educational institutions) the
authorities inform that “a pedophile’ is living near or among the people belonging to that community.
If in terms of child protection this practice has results, we cannot say the same thing from the other
perspective, namely the rehabilitation and social reintegration of an abuser. The abusers’ problem has
been discussed for a long time in some countries, and an alternative was the chemical castration.
The pedophiles, incestuous fathers or violators, those who suffer from an anomaly of sexual
preferences have to be listened and helped not stigmatized or ignored. The doctors have a leading role
1
Senior Lecturer, PhD, “Danubius” University of Galati, Faculty of Law, Romania, Address: 3 Galati Bl vd, Galati, Romania,
tel: +40372 361 102, fax: +40372 361 290, Corresponding author: lilianapavel@univ-danubius.ro.

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