The use of art for child sexual abuse investigations

Imagine you are investigating allegations of sexual abuse. You want to gain as accurate a disclosure as possible, with as much detail while still trying to ensure that the disclosure is truthful. The gold standard is the NICHD Protocol. But gaining a full picture may be aided by the use of drawing.

Three Israeli researchers have offered some fascinating insights in an article just published online in the journal Child Abuse and Neglect. They speak of the fine line that investigators must walk - gathering reliable information while also trying to focus on the wellbeing of the child. These can appear to be opposing forces. Just being interviewed by a social worker or a police officer can be traumatic in itself. Consider that many victims have been told that the activity must be kept a secret - and now these virtual strangers want you to tell. What an incredible conundrum for the child!

Drawing has been found to aid in recall and to offer richer descriptions of what occurs, particularly for younger children. But as these researchers note, non directed drawing is the way to go. Free recall yields better results as opposed to those that might be in some coached or guided.

These researchers sought to gain an understanding of of the consequences of the forensic interviewing for the child. They looked at before, during and after periods as well as comparing the experience of children who were asked to draw from those who were not. One finding that seemed particularly important is "Apparently during the investigate, drawing gave the children control and strengthened then during the process…" (p.8). The authors go on to say that "Following the interview, in response to free recall invitations, the children used three main words indicating their experiences following the investigation - relief, hope and success." (p.8).  However, children in both groups (whether they had drawn or not) also felt relief from the investigation. Age did not seem to matter suggesting that drawing was also useful for older children.

Succes was found to be more prevalent with children who had drawn.

What this research helps us to see is how important it is to not forget the various ways that children have to tell us their stories but also that their stories matter. We can get caught up in the forensic need to gather information while not giving the child's wellbeing the highlight that it needs.

Reference: Katz, C., Barnetz, Z., & Hershkowitz, I. (2014). The effect of drawing on children's experiences of investigations following alleged child abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect (In Press) http://dx.doi.org/10/1016/j.chiabu.2014.01.003 

Why disclose abuse?

Child protection workers are often faced with the dilemma of abuse cases where the child simply won't confirm that the abuse took place. Part of the reason can lie in the way in which the child is asked. In an article by Reder and Duncan (2004) in the UK, they note that CPS workers are often not properly trained in how to actually talk with and interview a child. This may partially explain why some of the really high profile cases of child protection failures have included a failure to see and/or interview the child.

Yet, there is more to it. In a rather interesting article soon to be published in the journal Child Abuse and Neglect Israeli authors Katz & Barnetz remind us of some very important issues but place a new light upon them. Those children who are the recipients of physical abuse seem to less likely to dispose as the are so reliant on the parent for the essentials of life. More resistance may be encountered as the child ages. What I found rather disturbing in the research, is the ways in which some victims of physical abuse incorporate the abuse into their life - accommodating it and taking ownership of it.  They gave as examples:

“Daddy was yelling on me because I didn’t do my homework, so I told him I am sorry you are right and brought himhis belt.”

“I knew that after he is drinking he will be looking for me, so I went there and set next to him. . .after he finishedhitting me I took him to his room so he will rest a bit.”

One can hardly see a child who has so accommodated the abuse into their living reality being easily open to disclosing the abuse. As the authors go on to state:

These narratives stress the unbearable situation for the children: they know when the abuse will take place, by whom,and how, and they have no real power to end it or to prevent it from occurring. In other words, they expect their fate andlive with/near this tragedy  

They also found that when a child is being sexually abused by a parent, the child will have a greater tendency to accommodate the abuse. This seems to be particularly true when the sexual abuse is of higher severity. Lower levels may see more fight or flight behaviours.

Thus, when a child is going to be interviewed about abuse, it is vital to understand that the child may well be accommodating the abuse as they do not feel a power to do otherwise. This can have profound implications for interviewing the child. It also strongly re-enforces that the interview should be done by someone who is skilled in the task. Poorly done, one can easily imagine how that child will lose faith in the potential value of disclosing.

It would require a great deal of effort for a child to disclose when they have accommodated the abuse into their reality. They may not believe that it can be otherwise and would see no reason to try and create change given that.

Katz, C., & Barnetz, Z. The behavior patterns of abused children as described in their testimonies. Child Abuse & Neglect (2013), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2013.08.006