Sexual Exploitation of Children - Research Paper Example

Sexual Exploitation of Children Introduction Sexual exploitation of children has today, taken the shape of a severe problem faced by the societies across the world. It is identified as one of the biggest issues challenging the development of the effective steps to ensure child protection. Observably, sexual exploitation of children in the current phenomenon is also observed in the different gradients of the society, wherein reports have been much concerned with the rapid increase in the issue of sexual abuses victimizing children or minors (Bonnar-Kidd, 2010). These offences have not only been affecting the life of the child victims but have also imposed serious threats on their cognitive development. To be precise, these offences have created a huge impact on children’s developmental needs, which in turn, at a larger scale, may impose strong negative impacts on the society as well. Sexual abuses involve a huge amount of psychological sequel and imposing a serious impact on the personal development of the children (Bonnar-Kidd, 2010). However, it has been observed that the child sexual abuses are often the result of physical aggression committed from the end of the offenders, which can be controlled by developing the mental state of the abuser to a certain extent. Hence, with this understanding, societies have today become engaged with developing their strategic rehabilitation programs to curtail the instances of child abuse (Bloom, 2004). Emphasizing this particular issue, the research aims to identify the rehabilitation program for child sex offenders as well as the identified effectiveness of such programs towards reducing the cases of sexual abuse of children to offer effective solutions from a critical perspective. Rehabilitation Programs for Child Sex Offenders Rehabilitation Needs for the Sex Offenders Sexual offenses can take place on a wider spectrum that might be committed in the form of rape and other crimes. Sexual offenders have been prevalent in all the sections of the society wherein most of the cases were referred to as inter family issues. The child sexual abuse, also referred as child molestation, that have been occurring in the various sections of the society, are further observed to impose strong negative impacts on the mental and cognitive developments of the child victims (Tabachnick & Klein, 2011). It is quite evident that majority of the offenses often remains unrecorded, leading to the failure of the authority to take proper steps that would allow to effectively handle the effect of the instance (Gelb, 2007). Owing to the fact that the victims of the sex offenses are mostly children who lack adequate awareness or understanding of the incidence of the risk, they become more vulnerable to such offences. Hence, to develop a better instance of the risk aversion, societies have been developing its rules accordingly, which are commonly aimed at providing rehabilitation to the offenders to prevent such occurrences at the wider scale (Tabachnick & Klein, 2011; Gelb, 2007). According to Truman (2011), out of the total violent victimization, which records crimes against the children are observed to be even severe than those conducted against adults. Furthermore, since these forms of abuses are perpetrated against children, the instances of such crimes are difficult to be pre-identified and hence, the effects of such crimes are observed to be devastating. Retrospectively, the cases of child sexual abuse are observed to have a very negative effect on the society and as a repercussion of it, the government can be seen to espoused strict approach towards the offenders of such criminal act (Truman (2011). For instance, the government has passed strict laws to locate the child sex offenders and provide a disclosure for the crimes they have perpetrated earlier. This would help the society to identify the abusers and protect their children from the severe consequences of such anti-social acts (Bloom, 2003). As this type of instances has a huge impact on the life of the children, causing a range of issues related to their psychological dilemma and thereafter, leaving a potential mark or social stigma on the life of children. Furthermore, the child’s sexual abuse has a massive impact on the confidence level of surviving children that may accompany with guilt and self-blame too (Briere & Elliott, 1994). However, Wakefield (2006) states the fact that the disintegration of the sex abusers from the mainstream society also imposes a negative impact on their psychology, creating the circumstances of isolation, which further leads them to perpetrate similar offences on repeated occasions. Furthermore, both positive and negative views regarding the issue have been persistent in the society with regard to the different rehabilitation programs as well as reintegration of the society towards sex abusers. The traditional mindset of the society has accordingly been observed as denying the acceptance of the fact that the abusers are having a psychological dilemma, which acts as a catalyst to such repeated crimes. In addition, the denial of the society to accept the fact that sexual abusers should be put under rehabilitation has also been creating an adverse impact on the life of the offenders (Jaffe, n.d.). Instead, the people are observed to have a tendency to consider the child sex abusers as offenders of irredeemable conducts, demanding life sentences for them. Owing to the fact that the instances of abuses against children are observed to have a very negating impact on the life of the children, the abusers are often provided with severe punishments too (Grant, Indermaur, Thornton, Stevens, Chamarette & Halse, 2009). Furthermore, the reluctance of the people towards accepting the instances of abuses to be a psychological discrepancy of the abusers has been affecting the rehabilitation programs integrated by the government for the different sex abusers. Furthermore, several laws have been enacted to curtail the instances of child sex abuse and punish the perpetrator. In this regard, these laws are observed to affect the development of the sex abusers as these laws consider the sex abusers as criminals rather than a person with a psychological disorder (Briere & Elliott, 1994). Undoubtedly, the offenses caused by the perpetrators have huge severity, which evidence the fact that these offenses are the outcomes of the psychological disorders amid the offenders (Grant et al., 2009). Hence, the need of rehabilitation is evident to prevent from instances of such heinous crimes. Furthermore, there has been a series of facts, pointing on the different scenarios where child sex abuses occur within the family increasing the severity of the action. Hence, the identification of the abusers and their tendency becomes mandatory, which can be noted in several instances where recidivism of sexual offenders was reported (John Howard Society of Alberta, 2002). Rehabilitation Programs The possibility of recidivism of sexual offenders tends to persist due to psychological imbalances among the child sex abusers. Correspondingly, a degree of reluctance has been witnessed among the people in the society as well as the lawmakers to accept child sex offenders as retorted people. In addition, the society treats them as criminals and imposes severe punishments. The different approaches of the system are observed to have a casual attitude towards the child sex offenders (Marshall, n.d.). This tendency should be changed, as it has been often observed to be the punishment results in recidivism of child sex offenders (Levenson & Cotter, n.d.). Additionally, it has also been observed that the sex offenders are often treated under same rehabilitation, which tends to affect their development process. As heterogeneous behavioral traits are observed among the different offenders, the rehabilitation facilities provided should be different. Hence, the rehabilitation programs need to be designed wherein the offenders are able to meet the requirements of cognitive development (Levenson & Cotter, n.d.; Marshall, n.d.). According to Harper (2012), a positive attitude of the society towards the offenders could develop their state and help them lead a better life. Furthermore, if the perpetrators of child sex abuse are suffering from any kind of psychological disorders it could only be treated through rehabilitation programs and not by charging the retorted people with lethal punishments. Additionally, the offender should be treated in a more diligent way so that their plight could be identified and a better developmental system could be integrated. Likewise, the different law making bodies have been integrating programs to minimize the chances of such occurrences. The different approaches of the law are observed as developed to control such act and punish perpetrators as well as meet with the different needs of the offenders (Yates, 2013). The different lawmaking bodies are developing their integrated programs that would help in enhancing the rehabilitation of the prisoners and help in developing their ability get back to mainstream society. In addition to the above, the law making bodies are developing their tailor made programs to reduce the chances of recidivism. Different prisons are integrating the ‘containment approaches’ in order to reduce the chances of the recurrence of such heinous act (Macgregor, 2008). Furthermore, the governing bodies in the US have developed containment processes by incorporating the different psychotherapeutic treatments that would help the child sex offenders fight the mental backlogs and develop their personal abilities. Furthermore, the government law making bodies have been observed as integrating this rehabilitation program so that they can reduce the instances of such threats on the children. With the motive to prevent social isolation of the offenders, the law making bodies are integrating different programs through counseling sessions (Perkins, Hammond, Coles, & Bishopp, 1998). For instance, the US Department of Justice hosts a number of residential programs to promote the psychological well being of child sex offenders providing medication and certain aftercare services to the prisoners. It has been noted by the US governing bodies, that the prisoners on their completion of rehabilitation programs were less likely to be rearrested and had fewer chances of committing similar types of offences. It is observed at the societal backdrop that the prisoners are provided with drug treatments under these programs that would help them prevent their state of intoxication to commit such crimes. This was observed that the different law making body has been enhancing the in-jail sustenance programs that would develop the personal abilities and enhance their cognitive skills. This would also help them in enhancing their abilities and get back to the mainstream societies (Gonzales, Henke & Herraiz, 2013). In addition to the above programs, the government has been taking extra efforts to develop the family members of the prisoners so that they do not isolate such offenders. In certain instances, evidences have revealed that the child sex offenders often depict tendencies of repeated engagement in such crime (Levenson & Cotter, n.d). In such a circumstance, the lack of support from the family members leads to the development of a further situation of loneliness and mental disorders. These types of situations can act as a catalyst to the psychological stress and hence affects the development of the prisoner and speed their recovery into mainstream society (Belcher, 2008). Thus, effective measures, like providing the prisoners with the proper support would also help in identifying their weaknesses and situations of mental disorders that might lead to their cognitive developments and enhance their adaptability in the society (Levenson & Cotter, n.d). Effectiveness and Ineffectiveness of the Rehabilitation Program Effectiveness of the Rehabilitation Program The rehabilitation programs applied till date depict high degree of effectiveness, as it has successfully reduced the chances of the recurrences of such heinous crimes. Additionally, it has also helped in developing a better understanding of the criminal’s psychology that may have led to situations of such offences. Moreover, it has also been noted that there has been a notable reduction in the recurrence of instances of child sex abuse (Yates, 2013). Previously, it has been noted that the criminals were punished severely. However, this method was not capable enough to reduce occurrences of child sex abuse or to reduce the recidivism tendency among the child sex offenders (Macgregor, 2008). The tendency provoking child sex abuse among the perpetrator were further researched and significant insights were drawn that indicated towards the fact that the government needed to be more conscious towards handling such criminals. In several circumstances, the fact was evident that the child sex offenders needed to be supported psychologically. Government intervention could also be identified as acting as a positive recourse in order to develop their cognitive abilities (Yates, 2013; Macgregor, 2008). Furthermore, this intervention plan by the government helped in identifying the circumstances that led to the turmoil at the psychological level of child sex offenders and instigated them to commit such crimes. Several steps integrated into the program have further helped in identifying the intensity of the risk with the level of development. Moreover, the law stated that the intensity of the corrective measures should be developed in such a way that it would be able to coincide with the risk impose on the life of the general public (Bloom, 2004). Correspondingly, the different level of risk offenses committed by the offenders could be rectified through the development of the intervention level of rectification program. The function of the treatment is also observed to have a positive impact on the development of the criminal psychology and chances of recidivism are reduced. This could also be noted that the success of the rehabilitation programs has been effective as the repetition of such heinous crimes could duly be reduced among prisoners (Grant et al., 2009). Furthermore, the rehabilitation program helped the child sex offenders to deal with their psychological disorders and lead a normal life by reducing the chances of recurrences of such offenses. The specific static risk could be reduced largely by the government intervention while the rectification of the prisoners could be duly integrated. In order to enhance the system of the development, the government has been putting certain intervention programs that have facilitated in developing the mental state of the child sex abusers to lead a normal life (Grant et al., 2009). Furthermore, it has been noted that different offenders are developing their cognitive skills, which has resulted in preventing themselves from engaging in any repeated offenses. In addition, the different programs helped in increasing the child sex offenders’ social development and enhanced the system of integration to the mainstream society (Bloom, 2004). Such measures were observed as having a positive impact in developing the social impression of the child sex offenders and enhanced their acceptance into the system. Moreover, the inclusion of the child sex offenders into the mainstream lifestyle would have helped them in enhancing the acceptability of the same further to enhance their ability to develop their cognitive intelligence. The different cognitive developments of the prisoners were observed to be through the different levels of the intervention programs that would have helped in enhancing the system of development of the present state of the prisoners (Macgregor, 2008). Correspondingly, the different integrated programs were observed to have a positive impact on the development of the prisoners on their personal level and helped them gain self-control. Additionally, the integration of the different development programs imposed apparent positive effects on the cognitive development of the prisoners and helped them rectify their psychological dilemma (Macgregor, 2008). In addition, by integrating the different programs with the development skills the lawmakers were successful in developing a system for the prisoners that would increase their ability to justify their actions. Correspondingly, with the development of the different programs, the child sex offenders were successful in receiving their psychological development and effectively managing their aggression. This was further observed to effectively mitigating their chances of perpetrating such offenses that could lead to fatal effects on the life of the people and society (Levenson & Cotter, n.d). Furthermore, the different government bodies are integrating programs, such as identifying the abusers that would help in developing a system of protection for the children and enhance their safety. This initiative of the government has created a negative impact on the life of the child sex abusers and has been pushing them into perpetrating the same crimes repeatedly (John Howard Society of Alberta, 2002). Ineffectiveness of the Rehabilitation Program The identification of the offenders publicly was isolating the child sex offenders from the mainstream society and has a negative impact on the development of the offenders. Additionally, these methods even created a dilemma among the child sex offenders and affected their social life negatively, barricading their development leading to a situation of recidivism. These tendencies of the society towards the child sex offenders have a very detrimental effect on their cognitive development (Truman, 2011). For instance, in the case of Oregon v. Barger (2011), the psychological disorder of the convict was clearly visible from his argumentative nature of justifying his standpoint. This tendency of the defendant clearly reflects that the child sex offenders should be facilitated with rehabilitation program for his/her cognitive development. However, the social identification and conviction of the child sex offenders is observed as creating a negative impact on the development of the offenders. Thus, even after providing with rehabilitation opportunities, the lack of support from the society has been creating a negative impact on their development (Grant et al., 2009). Correspondingly, the societal impediment has a negating impact on developing the lifestyle of the people and further affecting their positive step towards the mainstream society. These dilemmas among the society to accept the fact that majority of the sex offenders are suffering from their psychological imbalances affects their lifestyle in turn. Moreover, cognitive development of the offenders also is largely blocked by the societal negligence, which has been affecting their lifestyles largely. The inconsistency of the survival rates could be broadly identified to have both negative as well as a positive impact on the development of their personality (Truman, 2011). Moreover, it can be noted that the development of the different rehabilitation programs could be only effective with the efficient support from the society as well as the family. Hence, it can be stated that the treatment of the society towards such offenders are observed to be negatively affecting the development brought in by the rehabilitation programs (Grant et al., 2009). However, the effectiveness as well as the ineffectiveness of a program could only be ascertained by the development of the societal acceptances of the offenders (Truman, 2011). To be mentioned in this regard, the society could only initiate their effective cognitive development by allowing the offenders into the mainstream society and not treating them as an extremist to the society. Furthermore, the societal views towards such prisoners must have some positive alterations, as it would help in developing their cognitive abilities and enhancing their strength that deters the recurrence of such offenses. Correspondingly, it has also been noted that the prisoners who commit such offenses under intoxication must be treated accordingly, so that they can recover from their shortcomings, which would help the sex offenders to get back into the mainstream societies, lead a normal life, and in turn increase the safety of children at large (Perkins et al., 1998). Conclusion Different child sex offenders perpetrating such offenses has been largely suffering from the psychological imbalances that could not be rectified by punitive measures taken by the courts. It is however arguable in this context that the law and its incessant steps are affecting the society as well creating a tendency among such offenders to re-offend. Furthermore, the psychological imbalances and disorders have largely remained unnoticed among the criminals, which made them vulnerable to the situations of perpetrating such crime on repeated occasions. There have been several case evidences revealing that the child sex offenders, when offered with rehabilitation program, are able to change their behavior. However, the societal approach towards the child sex offenders is observed to have a negative impact on the effectiveness of the rehabilitation programs. Furthermore, it has been observed that the rehabilitation programs helps in reducing the chances recidivism of sexual offenders as well as facilitates in developing their cognitive skills and enhance their abilities to lead a better life. Suggestively, with the development of the psychological balances amid the child sex offenders, the law could ensure that they do not repeat offenses. This would further ensure the safety of the society as well as the children. Conclusively, in this study, the effectiveness of rehabilitation program for child sex offenders has been determined to be commendable which further promotes the welfare of the society. References Belcher, L. (2008). A critical evaluation of the sex offender treatment programmes used in prison. Internet Journal of Criminology, 1-29. Bonnar-Kidd, K. K. (2010). Sexual offender laws and prevention of sexual violence or recidivism. Am J Public Health, 100(3), 412–419. Bloom, S. L. (2004). Understanding the impact of sexual assault: the nature of traumatic experience. Retrieved from http://www.sanctuaryweb.com/PDFs_new/Bloom%20Understanding%20impact%20sexual%20assault.pdf Gelb, K. (2007). Recidivism of sex offenders. Research Paper, 1-52. Grant, J., Indermaur, D., Thornton, J., Stevens, G., Chamarette, C., & Halse, A. (2009). Intrafamilial adolescent sex offenders: Psychological profile and treatment. 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