Municipal officials show increased readiness to report suspicions of sexual abuse of children

Regional differences in procedure; one third of cases reported to police go to court

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By Leena Sandström
     
      Last year saw a considerable increase in the number of cases of suspected child sexual abuse reported to police. A total of 718 reports were made in 2003, or 28% more than in the previous year.
      In the province of Southern Finland the number of reports increased by one third, and in Western Finland the increase was 43%. In Eastern Finland, the increase was about 25%, and in Finnish Lapland there was a surge of 131% in reported cases. On the other hand, there was a decline of 34% in Oulu Province.
      The National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health (STAKES) has issued new instructions to employees in the social and health care sector, according to which a report should be made to the police if there is any suspicion that a child has been physically or sexually abused.
     
The sharp increase is attributed primarily to the new instructions, and not to any real increase in the number of actual cases.
      "Previously one problem was that the cases were not brought to the attention of the police. Instead, people pondered and agonised over what to do. Such a situation is not good from the point of view of anyone’s protection under the law", says STAKES official Sirpa Taskinen.
      STAKES has received positive feedback from both the police and social & health care personnel, all of whom say that the new rules have clarified the roles of the various parties involved.
      Now, police will approach child psychiatry clinics of central hospitals, or family care centres, in order to help determine whether or not abuse has taken place.
      During the investigation, police watch interviews with children either in the same room, or through a two-way mirror, and record them on videotape. The investigations are governed by strict rules.
     
Most municipalities have implemented the new rules, but in practice, there are still local differences. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has considered the possibility of giving official instructions to local authorities to reduce the amount of local variation in procedure in suspected child abuse cases.
      "These crimes are somewhat rare, and therefore, regional differences cannot be reliably analysed. Differences can be normal coincidental variation. There are also differences in the way cases are recorded", says Hannu Niemi of the Research Institute of Legal Policy.
      In some areas, acts committed by one perpetrator on several victims may be recorded as a single crime, and elsewhere as several different acts.
     
Regional differences can also be the result of differences in available services, and in the ability of personnel to recognise symptoms.
      "For instance, training given to day care personnel and teachers often leads to an increase in suspected cases. Knowledge of the issues increases the likelihood that someone will make a report", Sirpa Taskinen says.
      In Finnish Lapland, for example, a large number of employees underwent specialised training last year, which could be reflected in the statistics. A similar training programme is scheduled to take place in Oulu province later this month.
      According to STAKES, about one third of cases reported to the police end up in court.
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 13.10.2004

More on this subject:
 Investigating abuse can take unreasonably long from a victim's point of view
 Reporting suspicions to child welfare authorities

LEENA SANDSTRÖM / Helsingin Sanomat
leena.sandström@sanoma.fi