Sites On Child Sex Abuse
Whatever the truth of the Gordon case, the Web is a clearning house for resources on child sexual abuse. Below is a list of sites, including several arguing that child sexual abuse is the contemporary equivalent of the 17th century witch hunts.
Friends of the Children is an organization founded to promote public awareness of child sexual abuse. Its site contains a wealth of facts about sexual abuse, a gallery of artwork by abused children, and information on how parents can create a safer environment for their children.
Witch Hunt Information Page: Created by an MIT professor who believes that science is being subverted in the rush to convict child molesters, this site is a compilation of data on various sex abuse cases where irrational fear at least temporarily conquered reason.
Child Sexual Abuse: This site has links to lots of Web resources on the subject.
Elizabeth Loftus' Site: Loftus is a psychologist who has been critical of the way the Wenatchee cases were handled. She has written extensively on the theory of recovered memory, which she believes is a myth. (Wenatchee investigators used recovered memory therapy in their attempt to gather evidence.)
The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services' Children's Bureau contains statistics about the scope of child maltreatment, and ways to report suspected abuse. It also has a rundown of how you can help protect children by becoming a foster parent.
The Center on Children and the Law's tries to improve children's lives by legal means. Created by the American Bar Association, this site contains a wealth of legal information for attorneys, but also material that will interest lay people.
The Interfaith Sexual Trauma Institute is a joint creation of Saint John's Abbey and University with a national interdenominational leadership. ITSI's site contains a vast storehouse of resources for victims of sexual abuse, in addition to treatment resources for offenders.
The Family Factsheet for Child Sexual Abuse contains a breakdown of the symptoms of sexual abuse and a list of behavioral cues that can tip parents to the presence of abuse. In addition, the site, a service of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, details measures that parents can takto prevent sexual abuse.
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