Peer Abuse
In some cases of child abuse the alleged perpetrator will
also be a child.
In a situation where child abuse is alleged to have been
carried out by another child, the child protection
procedures should be adhered to for both the victim and the
alleged abuser; that is, it should be considered a child
care and protection issue for both children.
All abusers must be held accountable for their behavior and
work must be done to ensure that abusers take responsibility
for their behavior and acknowledge that the behavior is
unacceptable.
Victim's Welfare
If there is any conflict of interest between the welfare of
the alleged abuser and the victim, the victim's welfare is
of paramount importance.
Abuse Behavior by Children
Abusive behavior which is perpetrated by children must be
taken seriously. It is known that some adult abusers begin
abusing during childhood and adolescence, that significant
numbers will have suffered abuse themselves and that the
abuse is likely to become progressively more serious. Early
referral and intervention is therefore essential.
Early intervention and Treatment
Children who are abusive towards other children require
comprehensive assessment and therapeutic intervention by
skilled child care professionals. Treatment is more likely
to be effective if begun early in the child's life.
Sexual Abuse by Children and Young People
Research shows that a large degree of child sexual abuse is
perpetrated by teenagers. Obviously it is important that
behavior of this nature is not ignored. However it is also
very important that the different types of behavior are
clearly identified and that no young person is wrongly
labeled 'a child abuser', without a clear analysis of the
particular behavior.
One can identify four categories of behavior which would
warrant attention:
1. normal sexual exploration;
2. abuse reactive behavior;
3. sexually obsessive
behavior;
4. abusive behavior by
adolescents and young people.
1. Normal sexual exploration
This could consist of naive play between two children which
involves the exploration of their sexuality. This type of
behavior may be prompted by exchanges between children such
as: "you show me yours and I'll show you mine". One of the
key aspects of this behavior is the tone of it. There should
not be any coercive or dominating aspects to this behavior.
Usually, there is no need for child protection intervention
of any kind in this type of situation.
2. Abuse reactive behavior
In this situation, one child who has been abused already,
acts out the same behavior on another child. While this is
serious behavior and needs to be treated as such, the
emphasis should be on addressing the victim needs of the
child perpetrator.
3. Sexually obsessive behavior
In this type of situation the children may engage in
sexually compulsive behavior. An example of this would be
excessive masturbation which may well be meeting some other
emotional need. Most children masturbate at some point in
their lives. However, where children are in care or in
families where care and attention is missing, they may have
extreme comfort needs that are not being met and may move
from masturbation to excessive interest or curiosity in sex,
which takes on excessive or compulsive aspects. These
children may not have been sexually abused but they may be
extremely needy and may need very specific help in
addressing these needs.
4. Abusive Behavior by Adolescents and Young People
Behavior that is abusive will have elements of domination,
coercion or bribery and certainly secrecy. The fact that the
behavior is carried out by an adolescent, for example does
not, in itself, make it ‘experimentation’. However, if there
is no age difference between the two children or no
difference in status, power or intellect, then one could
argue that this is indeed experimentation. On the other
hand, if the adolescent is aged thirteen and the child is
aged three, this gap in itself creates an abusive quality
which should be taken seriously.
Treatment Services for Victims
As in all cases of child abuse, it is essential to respond
to the needs of the children who are abused by their peers.
Each category of child abuse may have different dynamics and
effects. There is no single approach to the treatment of
child abuse so each individual case will require its own
unique intervention. Appropriate support and services should
be provided to the child and his or her parents or
caregivers as quickly as possible.
In the case of child sexual abuse, treatment approaches may
include individual treatment and group therapy for the child
or adolescent. Individual treatment allows the child or
adolescent the opportunity to give his or her account of the
abuse; talking about the abusive experience can often be an
important first step. Group therapy offers the child or
adolescent a supportive setting and an opportunity to
address his/ or her sense of isolation and secrecy.
Prevention
There is a high probability that future abuse can be
prevented if early intervention takes place. Treatment is
more likely to be effective if begun early in the child's
life. Therefore it is essential to refer concerns about peer
abuse immediately to the relevant health authority. Health
authorities should establish appropriate treatment programs
to cater for children who engage in abusive behavior with
other children.
Impact of Allegation on Child and Family
It should be anticipated that an allegation of abuse will
have a detrimental impact on relationships between the
alleged abuser, his parents and other family members. A
negative impact on other social relationships such as with
peers and neighbors should also be anticipated. As a result,
the child and his family may experience isolation and in
some situations victimization following an allegation of
abuse. The child's parents will need support and advice to
help them understand the abusive behavior and to deal with
the situation. Active participation and commitment by
parents can be an important factor in the success of
treatment and may be crucial in influencing the general
outcome of the case. It is therefore essential to provide
adequate support services to the child and his family
throughout the assessment and treatment processes.
Bullying
Bullying can be
defined as repeated aggression be it verbal, psychological
or physical which is conducted by an individual or group
against others.
It is
behavior which is intentionally aggravating and intimidating
and occurs mainly among children in social environments such
as schools. It includes behaviors such as teasing, taunting,
threatening, hitting or extortion by one or more pupils
against a victim. The more extreme forms of bullying
behavior, when perpetrated by adults rather than children,
would be regarded as physical or emotional abuse. However
other major forms of child abuse such as neglect and sexual
abuse are not normally comprehended by the term bullying.
It is recognized that bullying in school is an increasing
problem. It is imperative that school management boards
should have in place a policy to deal with bullying, and
that teachers are aware of this policy and of procedural
guidelines to deal with bullying. In situations where the
incident is serious and where the behavior is regarded as
potentially abusive, the school should consult the relevant
health authority and law enforcement with a view to drawing
up an appropriate response.
[With special thanks to the
National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of
Children
2004
Irish Department of Health and Children]
