Abstract

DOBKE, Veleda Maria; SANTOS, Samara Silva dos  and  DELL'AGLIO, Débora Dalbosco. Intrafamily sexual abuse: from reporting to witnessing in the criminal trial. Temas psicol. [online]. 2010, vol.18, n.1, pp. 167-176. ISSN 1413-389X.

This study aims at evaluating intrafamily sexual abuse within the Justice context, from reporting to the experience of witnessing in the criminal trial. A case study was conducted describing how a female adolescent who was a victim of intrafamily sexual abuse, as well as her mother, perceived the path from reporting the abuse to the experience of giving testimony in the criminal trial. Analysis of interviews showed that the length of time from reporting to witnessing, and lack of protection to the witness may cause suffering and frustration to victims. It was also observed that the procedures for full protection of the child, as ruled by the Law, were not followed during the criminal trial, becoming a challenge for professionals working in this area. There is a need for more knowledge of the dynamics of intrafamily sexual abuse for proper ministerial and judicial work, as well as the need for decision making and actions related to the criminal trial context, in the sense of protecting victims and their non-offending mothers.

Keywords : Intrafamily Sexual Abuse; Reporting Sexual Abuse; Criminal Trial; Child Witness.

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