Illustration by Marc Rosenthal
From the Boy Scouts of America to the Catholic Church, youth service organizations have come under fire in recent years for what has appeared to be an alarming prevalence of child abuse cases, causing some to speculate about these groups’ safety. Do youth organizations pose a particular risk for abuse because the individuals who staff them aren’t sufficiently supervised? Do these groups attract people with abusive inclinations?
A study led by UNH’s David Finkelhor to address these questions was published by JAMA Pediatrics in February with some interesting results: the rate of abuse among children and adolescents by individuals in organizations that serve youth, including schools and recreational groups, was low compared with rates of abuse by family members...
Illustration by Marc Rosenthal
From the Boy Scouts of America to the Catholic Church, youth service organizations have come under fire in recent years for what has appeared to be an alarming prevalence of child abuse cases, causing some to speculate about these groups’ safety. Do youth organizations pose a particular risk for abuse because the individuals who staff them aren’t sufficiently supervised? Do these groups attract people with abusive inclinations?
A study led by UNH’s David Finkelhor to address these questions was published by JAMA Pediatrics in February with some interesting results: the rate of abuse among children and adolescents by individuals in organizations that serve youth, including schools and recreational groups, was low compared with rates of abuse by family members...