Under present STAKES guidelines, a social worker or health care professional who has reason to suspect that a child has been physically or sexually abused is required to report the case to child welfare authorities. The officials are instructed to immediately inform police about such a suspicion.
Previously such suspicions were usually dealt with among health care officials, and only a few of the cases would go to the police. A social and health care worker can make a report to police only for acts which can bring a prison sentence of at least six years.
However, a report to child welfare is mandatory, and the child welfare authorities are entitled to pass the information on to the police.
In the investigation, facts that support the suspicion and those that speak against it should be examined without prejudice. The investigators make inquiries from a neutral standpoint, and observe how the child reacts when painful issues are brought up. Confidence is established through play and games.
A study by the Central Union of Child Protection in Finland conducted in 1988 indicated that eight percent of girls and three percent of boys were victims of sexual abuse by the time they were 16. The experiences range from the fondling of genitalia to full-blown rape.
Most of the victims were over the age of 12. Only in rare cases is the child’s biological parent the perpetrator of the abuse.
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 13.10.2004
