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Is sexual abuse of children with disabilities disclosed? A retrospective analysis of child disability and the likelihood of sexual abuse among those attending Norwegian hospitals
- Author:
- KVAM Marit Hoem
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 24(8), August 2000, pp.1073-1084.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
According to North American studies disabled children are at 2-3 times greater risk of being sexually abused than non-disabled. If the risk ratio for disabled children in Norway is similar, and the disclosure of sexual abuse is the same for disabled as for non-disabled, one should expect disabled children to constitute 2-3 times the 11% they constitute in the general populations. This research aimed to investigate if this is the case for Norwegian children, and to find characteristics within in the handicapped group suspected of being sexually assaulted. Children with disabilities make up a smaller part of children coming to paediatric hospitals with the suspicion of being sexually abused than expected. The results indicate that when a child has a severe disability, the caretakers do not seem to recognise it as sexual abuse before it is quite obvious.