Suchergebnisse

After reviewing social constructionist approaches to emotion, the construction of "oppositional emotions" among members of the movement against child sexual abuse is analyzed. This process is likened to that of the development of a collective identity, in which interactive processes working at the microlevel of the organization link members on the basis of their feelings & experiences; in this case, most members are themselves survivors of child sexual abuse. The display of emotions in public contexts by movement members is analyzed as a form of "emotional labor" afforded by certain external contexts that present "emotional opportunities" for such expression. These concepts are explicated using data obtained via 45 in-depth interviews with activists in the movement against child sexual abuse, documentary data from movement organizations, & participant observation at two national conferences of activists. It is shown how the movement encourages the public expression of survivors' emotions & offers a context for the politicization of their personal experiences; parallels are drawn to the early feminist movement. K. Hyatt Stewart

Explores 84 cases of alleged satanic child sexual abuse in England & Wales, 1988-1991, arguing that, like former witchcraft allegations, they communicate a far-reaching moral panic expressed in metaphors of bodily invasion. Case specifics are discussed in terms of the nature of the abused, abuser(s), sources of the allegations, & the social context in which they were made. Most exhibited no evidence whatsoever in support of allegations. In the three cases claiming use of magical powers by adults to coerce children into sexual acts, the ritual abuse was secondary to the sexual abuse. Difficulties involved in children's accounts are discussed. It is concluded that the social significance of these allegations does not involve a danger to children. Rather, the association of children with evil practices gave the accusations emotional force & played on fears that society was under attack. 2 Tables, 16 References. J. Lindroth

Explores human rights abuses against children, highlighting those that are especially applicable to females, eg, preferences for male children that result in the abortion or infanticide of females, female genital mutilation, rape, & prostitution or sexual slavery. Historical developments culminating in the 1959 UN Declaration on the Rights of the Child & similar treaties are traced, & the adoption in 1989 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which has the status of international law, is described. Its guidelines for what constitutes children's rights & provisions for the protection of these are reviewed, focusing on child health, education, labor, & sexual exploitation. A case study of a young homeless girl murdered by a pedophile doctor in Argentina is presented, along with the formation of a special nongovernmental organization targeting child sexual exploitation that resulted from her tragedy. K. Hyatt Stewart

A discussion of the 1970s-1980s sexual abuse of boys by Catholic priests & brothers in Newfoundland focuses on the final report (Winter, Gordon, et al, 1990) of the Archdiocesan Commission of Enquiry. Definitions of child sexual abuse are examined, along with common predisposing factors & the relationship between clerical celibacy & child sex abuse. Overtones of homophobia are noted in the commission report, along with confusion between child sex abuse & consensual homosexual encounters. Outrage of the local Catholic community at the church's failure to respond to the allegations in a timely manner is described, maintaining that the church's traditional ecclesiastical response centered on preventing scandal. Probable misunderstandings of the effects of the abuse on the victims are examined, suggesting that they are partly responsible for the lack of empathy on the part of church officials. Suggestions are made for how the church can respond more responsibly to abuse allegations, & the need to look into the structural roots of child sex abuse in the institutional framework of the Catholic Church is discussed. 39 References. J. Lindroth