Overview

Sexual exploitation of children is a major social problem in the United States and around the world. Depending upon how such exploitation is defined and measured, divergent estimates indicate that in the U.S. between 3 and 37 percent of males, and between 8 and 71 percent of females are sexually abused in some manner during childhood or adolescence. In response, governments have passed strict laws, entered into international treaties, and established large bureaucracies aimed at curbing child sexual abuse. Preventing the Sexual Victimization of Children is the first book to critically evaluate national and international efforts to reduce child sexual abuse (CSA) and ameliorate its effects. Until now, input from social science and mental health experts has been accepted for the most part uncritically, as have the programs and laws that have been developed in reliance upon that advice. Here Dr. Ewing utilizes empirical data, policy considerations, cost-benefit analyses, psychological theory, legal reasoning, and common sense to undertake the often difficult and sometimes controversial task of distinguishing prevention strategies that are likely to prevent CSA from those that are not. He concludes that the most expensive preventive strategies-such as sex offender registration, enhancing criminal penalties for such offenders, and civilly confining them-are not effective in preventing CSA and may actually increase its likelihood. However, he also concludes that many other strategies are or could be effective in preventing CSA, such as minimizing opportunities for such abuse, risk education, teaching children to protect themselves, encouraging bystander intervention, limiting the cultural sexualization of children, improving the investigation and prosecution of CSA allegations, using technology to stop child pornography and to rescue its victims, changing the culture in child-serving organizations, and more. This volume will be a unique and critical resource for lawyers, researchers, psychologists, social workers, public policy officials, students, and child advocates interested in preventing child sexual abuse.

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9780199895533

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Reviews

Informed by his mastery of both psychology and law, Dr. Ewing's latest contribution to the professional literature is an indispensable guide for colleagues dedicated to preventing the sexual victimization of children. One rarely encounters a work that so successfully blends research-based perspectives with practical advice for administrators and clinicians in the trenches. Those wishing to do good in this arena will do well to purchase this book. -Eric Y. Drogin, JD, PhD, Faculty Member, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and former President of the American Board of Forensic Psychology At a high level of sophistication, Ewing reviews incidence and prevalence figures for various kinds of child sexual abuse--e.g., clergy abuse, child sex trafficking, Internet offending--and parses these data finely, debunking any number of commonly held myths. There are a variety of books that deal with methods of assessing child sexual abuse, but none that so systematically and broadly reviews the area and, particularly, considers the evidence for effectiveness of various prevention strategies. Ewing's book is a voice of reason in a content area that, unfortunately, lends itself to hysteria. -Philip H. Witt, PhD, ABPP, Forensic Psychologist, Associates in Psychological Services, P.A., and coauthor of Evaluation of Sexually Violent Predators (OUP, 2008) Dr. Ewing's balanced exploration of the problem of child sexual exploitation is an essential read for policymakers and for legal scholars as well as for those engaged in prosecution and intervention. He examines the empirical support for current strategies and provides data that should illuminate the way forward. Dr. Ewing's thoughtful analysis offers a unique perspective on all forms of sexual exploitation including familial abuse, institutional abuse, and internet contact. -Mary Connell, Ed.D., ABPP, Board Certified Forensic and Clinical Psychologist and Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic

This well-written book makes an excellent contribution in that it provides an easily digested overview of disparate actions that historically have been treated separately, many of them seldom thought about by professionals focused on their own particular specialization. The author, Charles Patrick Ewing, usefully makes connections among such actions as psychosocial interventions, changes in the law, changes in institutional environments and employment practices, and changes in law enforcement practice - a welcome difference from other books on child sexual victimization. PsycCRITIQUES

This well-written book makes an excellent contribution in that it provides an easily digested overview of disparate actions that historically have been treated separately, many of them seldom thought about by professionals focused on their own particular specialization. The author, Charles Patrick Ewing, usefully makes connections among such actions as psychosocial interventions, changes in the law, changes in institutional environments and employment practices, and changes in law enforcement practice - a welcome difference from other books on child sexual victimization. * PsycCRITIQUES *

Author Information

Charles Patrick Ewing, JD, PhD, is State University of New York Distinguished Service Professor and Vice Dean at the SUNY Buffalo Law School. Dr. Ewing is a graduate of Harvard Law School, he received his Ph.D.at Cornell University, and he was a post-doctoral fellow at Yale University's Institution for Social and Policy Studies. Dr. Ewing is the author of nine previous books including Justice Perverted: Sex Offense Law, Psychology, and Public Policy (OUP, 2011) and past President of the American Board of Forensic Psychology.

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