Conference turris::womannotes-v1

544.0. "Child Sexual Abuse -- Boston Globe Series" by MAY20::MINOW (Je suis marxiste, tendance Groucho) Sun Nov 08 1987 23:58

  Sexual abuse does not necessarily have to do with sex.

  "If I hit you over the head with a rolling pin, you wouldn't call it
  cooking, would you?"  one therapist asks abusers.  "Just because some
  people use their genitals to abuse their power, it doesn't make it sex."

The Boston Globe has just started a 4-part series on child sexual abuse,
written by their "Spotlight" (investigative) team.  "Series at a glance:"

Sunday (Nov 7, 87): "Following new sexual abuse reporting laws, child
  molestation cases have flooded the court, paralyzed prosecutors, and caught
  the Dukakis administration without a comprehensive treatment policy.  One
  result has been light sentencing for pedophiles."

Monday: "One of the most disturbing trends is the burgeoning crime category
  of child sexual abuse is the number and ferocity of assaults by teen-agers
  on younger children.  While therapy is vital for adolescents, the state
  has few programs for convicted junveniles."

Tuesday: "The court establishment tilts away from punishing child molesters,
  failing to produce prison terms in one-third of the cases.  The heavy new
  caseload has landed on a system that has traditionally swept child sexual
  abuse cases under the rug."

Wednesday: "The treatment scene: While juninile sex offenders get little or
  no therapy at a time when they need it most and many state officials view
  adult offenders as a lost cause, there is evidence that therapy progress
  is possible with both groups, especially juveniles."

Martin.