“Stranger danger” warnings aside, when it comes to child victims, more than 90 percent are sexually assaulted by someone they know — which makes sense, because those are the adults who generally have access to children. In about a third of such cases, the perpetrator was a family member, according to F.B.I. data, and in another 58 percent it was an acquaintance — a category that includes teachers, foster parents, neighbors and day care employees.

The research, though sparse, seems fairly clear on a couple of points: most children do not disclose abuse, and sexual abuse is difficult to detect.

Abusers may instill in their victim a sense of shared responsibility for what has taken place, imply that the abuse is the child’s fault, warn them of the importance of secrecy, overtly threaten them or undermine the child’s credibility by forging alliances with other adults in the child’s life.

“It’s a challenge, but it’s not an insurmountable challenge,” said Melissa Jampol, a former sex crimes prosecutor in Manhattan who now serves on an expert committee examining the case of Larry Nassar, who was convicted of molesting the young gymnasts he treated as specialist in sports medicine. “There’s been a sea change since the #MeToo movement started in terms of the way people view victims of these crimes.”

Many cases, especially those that happened long ago, will come down to the credibility of the victim, though prosecutors must seek any corroboration they can find. And even with changes, the statute of limitations will bar many prosecutions, since such changes cannot be made retroactive in criminal cases.

That will push much of the legal action into the arena of civil lawsuits. Some states have opened limited “windows” during which victims can sue even if their case is outside the civil statute of limitations. For example, last year Michigan gave victims of Mr. Nassar a 90-day window to file civil suits.



By SHAILA DEWAN

Source link