Tag Archives: sexual abuse

Study reveals scale of the sexual exploitation of boys

Research carried out by UCL Security and Crime Science (UCL Engineering) and NatCen, funded by the Nuffield Foundation and supported by Barnardo’s, underlines the dangers of underestimating the impact of child sexual exploitation on boys and young men.

UCL’s analysis of records from 9,042 children and young people affected by child sexual exploitation who were supported by Barnardo’s since 2008 reveals that 1 in 3 (2,986) were male. This is much higher figure than previous national studies have found. (more…)

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Violence Perpetuating Violence

YSPH Postdoc Examines how Armed Conflict Increases the Incidence of Intimate Partner Violence

The armed conflict in Burma is not one that receives much attention in the western media. But it has forced thousands of people to flee their homes and seek relative safety just over the border in Thailand.

But once there, refugee women face another peril entirely that continues to threaten their well-being: intimate partner violence.

In a research paper that was recently published in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Yale School of Public Health postdoctoral research associate Kathryn Falb found that refugee women living in three Thai border camps experience widespread physical violence, not by Burmese soldiers, but by the men who fled with them in the first place. (more…)

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Be On the Look Out This Summer: 5 Signs of Child Abuse

The summer is here, which means child day care centers and summer camps will soon be flooded with vast amounts of children. While typically people are more concerned with who is handling their child and thus mandate background checks for all employees, sometimes it’s the parents who are at fault and cause harm to their children. That’s why it is so important to remind educators, advisors and camp counselors (who are all too often children themselves—most are college aged) how to closely monitor the signs and detect child abuse and neglect.

While national statistics say child abuse is reported every ten seconds, unfortunately most of those cases are not made by child daycare workers—a place where child interaction occurs the most. In fact, studies show that underreporting is a common thread among child day care centers and summer camps, mostly because employees don’t want to get involved, fear they may be wrong, or don’t know the common signs of child abuse. With that said, if you are suspicious a child in your care may be suffering from child abuse because he or she is experiencing one or all of the symptoms listed below, it’s best to talk with an authoritative figure and report the case. (more…)

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Q&A: Creating a Safe Haven For Children

For over 25 years, Dr. John M. Leventhal has been fighting a battle to protect the lives of hundreds of children who come through one of the child abuse programs at Yale.

He has won many struggles along the way, but to win the war, he says, the program needs to be armed with more state and federal support, as well as support from individuals and foundations.

“Finding ways to protect children who can’t defend themselves is part of what wakes me up in the morning and motivates me to continue this tough, but important work,” says Leventhal, professor of pediatrics at Yale School of Medicine and director of the Child Abuse Programs at Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital. (more…)

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