One in Ten

Black children and other children of color are less likely to be believed when reporting sexual violence and are considered less credible by jurors. But in multidisciplinary team settings, we pride ourselves on openly discussing all aspects of a case and coming into a case neutrally and allowing the disclosure and any corroborating evidence to determine the future direction of a case. But are we overconfident in these factors being enough to avoid disparate substantiation rates in child sexual abuse cases? Dr. Maggie Stevenson joins us to talk about how race affects whether children who disclose sexual abuse are seen as credible.

Topics in this episode:

• 1:43 – Origin story
• 5:06 – Previous research
• 7:31 – Study design
• 10:35 – Examining a difficult topic
• 14:57 – Hypotheses
• 20:06 – Findings
• 23:26 – Advice for child abuse professionals
• 28:43 – Policy implications
• 31:27 – A small test of change
• 33:05 – Next research
• 37:08 – For more information

Links:

Margaret (Maggie) C. Stevenson, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, Kenyon College

“When Disclosure Fails to Substantiate Abuse: Child and Perpetrator Race Predict Child Sexual Abuse Substantiation,” by Margaret C. Stevenson and Molly A. Rivers, Child Maltreatment 2023, Vol. 28, Issue 4. DOI: 10.1177/10775595231157729

Bette L. Bottoms, Ph.D.

The Legacy of Racism for Children: Psychology, Law, and Public Policy, edited by Margaret C. Stevenson, Bette L. Bottoms, and Kelly C. Burke (Oxford University Press, 2020)

Criminal Juries in the 21st Century: Psychological Science and the Law, (Oxford University Press, 2018)

“Effects of victim and defendant race on jurors’ decisions in child sexual abuse cases,” Bette L. Bottoms, Suzanne L. Davis, Michelle A. Epstein, Journal of Applied Social Psychology, Vol. 34, Issue 1. DOI: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2004.tb02535.x

For more information about National Children’s Alliance and the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers, visit our website at NationalChildrensAlliance.org. Or visit our podcast website at OneInTenPodcast.org. And join us on Facebook at One in Ten podcast.

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When it comes to child sexual abuse and exploitation, a new look at the U.S. shows we’re not doing very well. Economist Impact's Out of the Shadows Index report, supported by World Childhood Foundation USA, sets key indicators for performance on child sexual abuse and exploitation prevention and intervention. And it benchmarks against those indicators in 28 different states—and counting; there will eventually be another report.

Sadly, but perhaps unsurprisingly, all states measured so far have struggled. And if this were a report card, the best performing state would only have a D. What this means for kids is that, as a nation, our safeguarding is wholly inadequate and our response system woefully underfunded.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. We invited Laura Avery and Katherine Stewart, the authors of the report, to talk to us about the report and how by being able to pinpoint weaknesses and challenges, we can develop state-specific roadmaps for improvement in child protection. If you haven’t already read the report, please make sure you do. You can find a link to it in our show notes. And for a compass to better outcomes for kids, please take a listen.

Topics in this episode:

1:31 – Origin story

4:49 – Tighten up the metrics

7:36 – How states fared

9:16 – What the index covers

11:28 – Biggest weaknesses

19:27 – Bright spots

22:03 – State wealth; statutes of limitations

29:32 – Expanding the study

31:54 – Policy maker response

35:00 – Magic wand

42:36 – For more information

Links:

Laura Avery, senior analyst, Policy & Insights, Economist Impact

Katherine Stewart, principal, New Globalisation, and lead, Benchmarking, Policy & Insights, Economist Impact

Full 2024 U.S. report and state reports and the 2022 pilot

Global report (2022)

“America’s Inconsistent Response to Child Sexual Abuse,” with Araceli Irurzun Pérez (Season 4, Episode 20; November 17, 2022)

Childhood USA

1990 Convention on the Rights of the Child

NCMEC

Marci Hamilton, “Radically Vulnerable: Achieving Justice for Survivors” (Season 1, Episode 10; September 30, 2019)

Brave Movement

Previous episodes on prevention

For more information about National Children’s Alliance and the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers, visit our website at NationalChildrensAlliance.org. Or visit our podcast website at OneInTenPodcast.org. And join us on Facebook at One in Ten podcast.

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Dr. Arline T. Geronimus coined the term “weathering” to describe the effects of systemic oppression—including racism and classism—on the body. In 2023, she published Weathering: The Extraordinary Stress of Ordinary Life in an Unjust Society to shine a light on the topic and offer a roadmap for hope. This summer, she joined us at the 2024 NCA Leadership Conference to share her research with child abuse professionals who have dedicated themselves to helping children go on to live happy, healthy lives. This is the conversation Dr. Geronimus had with Teresa Huizar, the CEO of National Children’s Alliance and host of One in Ten podcast, in a plenary session at the conference.

 Topics in this episode:

Origin story – 03:15

What is weathering? – 10:10

Physiological stress (not just three minutes of terror on the savannah) – 17:12

When weathering starts – 28:33

Our expectations of caregivers – 33:16

Cost of resiliency – 40:20

Solutions – 54:16

 Links:

Arline T. Geronimus, ScD, professor, health behavior and health education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan

Weathering: The Extraordinary Stress of Ordinary Life in an Unjust Society, by Arline Geronimus (Little, Brown Spark; March 2023)

Robert Sapolsky, Ph.D.

The video version of this conversation will also be available on NCA's YouTube channel.

For more information about National Children’s Alliance and the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers, visit our website at NationalChildrensAlliance.org. Or visit our podcast website at OneInTenPodcast.org. And join us on Facebook at One in Ten podcast.

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Would you recognize grooming if you saw it? We all think we know what it means, but that doesn’t mean we’re any good at spotting it—even if we’re parents determined to protect our kids from abuse. In fact, if anything, we’re overconfident about our ability to recognize grooming behaviors. Dr. Elizabeth Jeglic returns to One in Ten to discuss recent research on the topic.

 Topics in this episode:

• 00:09 – Origin story
• 03:16 – What is grooming?
• 05:52 – Study design and findings
• 14:04 – Escalating behaviors
• 15:38 – Overconfidence
• 20:58 – Prevention education 
• 29:04 – Intervention
• 32:04 – Public policy implications
• 35:15 – Future research
• 38:17 – Abusive women
• 41:01 – For more information

Links:

Elizabeth L. Jeglic, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York

“The Real Red Flags of Grooming” (Season 5, Episode 4, March 24, 2023)

“Examining Parental Abilities to Recognize Sexual Grooming Behaviors of Child Sexual Abusers,” Lillian A. Steedman, Elizabeth L. Jeglic, Georgia M. Winters, Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 2023. DOI:10.1007/s40653-023-00599-x

Lillian A. Steedman

Georgia M. Winters, Ph.D.

David Finklehor, Ph.D.

For more information about National Children’s Alliance and the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers, visit our website at NationalChildrensAlliance.org. Or visit our podcast website at OneInTenPodcast.org. And join us on Facebook at One in Ten podcast.

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All of us have had to give more thought to climate change and its effects in recent years. But to what degree have we yet reckoned with the way in which climate change may increase violence against children? Which children are most likely to be affected? What preventative measures can we take now to help mitigate that risk? And how should this knowledge shape our services to children and families, both now and in the future? We speak with Dr. Jorge Cuartas, assistant professor of applied psychology at New York University and senior consultant on violence against children at the World Bank.

Topics in this episode:

00:09 – Origin story

03:13 – The strain on families and communities

05:57 – Displaced families, family separation

08:07 – Effect on marginalized communities

12:02 – Slow violence and mental health

18:45 – Anxiety, resilience, and climate change

23:24 – Advice for policy makers

27:10 – Advice for child abuse professionals

34:11 – Future research

39:10 – For more information

Links:

Jorge Cuartas, Ph.D., assistant professor of applied psychology at New York University; senior consultant on violence against children at the World Bank; co-director of the NGO Apapacho

“Climate change is a threat multiplier for violence against children,” Jorge Cuartas, Amiya Bhatia, Daniel Carter, Lucie Cluver, Carolina Coll, Elizabeth Donger, Catherine E. Draper, Frances Gardner, Bess Herbert, Orla Kelly, Jamie Lachman, Najat Maalla M'jid, Frederique Seidel, Child Abuse & Neglect, 2023, 106430, DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106430.

For more information about National Children’s Alliance and the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers, visit our website at NationalChildrensAlliance.org. Or visit our podcast website at OneInTenPodcast.org. And join us on Facebook at One in Ten podcast.

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Did you like this episode? Please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.

Cases involving problematic sexual behavior are between a quarter and a third of all cases of child sexual abuse that come through Children’s Advocacy Centers. How do we understand this behavior in teens? What are risk factors and key opportunities to interrupt and disrupt this behavior? What do we know about evidence-supported treatment for these teens? And how may existing evidence-based treatments and approaches be shaped and applied? We speak with Dr. Melissa Grady at the School of Social Service at Catholic University and Dr. Jamie Yoder, assistant professor of social work at Colorado State University.

Topics:

01:50 – Origin story

08:37 – Trauma and childhood adversity

17:17 – Attachment

23:47 – Why TF-CBT?

32:09 – Findings

41:32 – What’s next?

48:32 – For more information

 Links:

Melissa Grady, Ph.D., professor, National Catholic School of Social Service at Catholic University

Jamie Yoder, Ph.D., assistant professor of social work, Colorado State University.

“Developing a trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy application for adolescents with problematic sexual behaviors: A conceptual framework,” M. D. Grady, J. Yoder, E. Deblinger, A. P. Mannarino, Child Abuse & Neglect, Volume 140, 2023, 106139, doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106139

Jill Levenson, Ph.D., LCSW

Kevin Creeden, LMHC 

Elizabeth J. Letourneau, Ph.D.

Tony Ward, Ph.D.

William L. Marshall, Ph.D.

Michael Miner, Ph.D. 

“Sexual Behavior in Youth: What’s Normal? What’s Not? And What Can We Do About It?” with Jane Silovsky, Ph.D. (Season 3, episode 15)

“Understanding Kids With Problematic Sexual Behaviors,” with Geoff Sidoli, MSW, LCSW (Season 5, episode 21)

“Tony and Esther and Judy”

“TF-CBT: Helping Kids Get Better,” with Anthony Mannarino, Ph.D. (Season 5, episode 16)

For more information about National Children’s Alliance and the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers, visit our website at NationalChildrensAlliance.org. Or visit our podcast website at OneInTenPodcast.org. And join us on Facebook at One in Ten podcast.

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Did you like this episode? Please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.

Child sex trafficking is not a new phenomenon. And thankfully, the general public and child abuse professionals have greater awareness than ever of it. But has the full story yet been told? To what extent has the experience of boys been a part of our understanding of sex trafficking of children and youth? What places boys at special risk for trafficking? What vulnerabilities do they have and how might that affect their recruitment? And how can we tailor programs to meet the unique needs and concerns of boys? Join us as we speak with Amanda Connella, graduate research assistant at the TIP Lab, and Dr. Sandra Stone, assistant dean for graduate studies at the University of South Florida, about how we can ensure that boys are no longer invisible victims.

Topics in this episode:

• Origin story (01:14)
• Kids at risk of trafficking (05:17)
• Not enough service providers for boys (14:25)
• Not enough research (18:50)
• Misperceptions about boys (20:46)
• Prevention disconnected from data (26:02)
• Advice for parents (31:15)
• Advice for child abuse professionals (38:07)
• Public policy (47:40)
• For more information (50:27)

Links:

Amanda L. Connella, M.A., is a graduate research assistant at the TIP (Trafficking in Persons Risk to Resilience) Lab at the University of South Florida

“The Invisible Victims of Commercial Sexual Exploitation: Boys and Their Barriers to Access to Services,” graduate thesis, Amanda L. Connella

Sandra Stone, Ph.D., professor and assistant dean for graduate studies, University of South Florida

Joan A. Reid, Ph.D., LMHC

Selah Freedom

Colby Valentine, Ph.D.

“Why Do People Believe Conspiracy Theories About Human Trafficking?”, with Maureen Kenny, Ph.D.

NIJ, National Institute of Justice

Bob’s House of Hope

“The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in New York City, Volume One: The CSEC Population in New York City: Size, Characteristics, and Needs,” by R. Curtis, K. Terry, M. Dank, K. Dombrowski, and B. Khan (September 2008); Center for Court Innovation and John Jay College of Criminal Justice

For more information about National Children’s Alliance and the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers, visit our website at NationalChildrensAlliance.org. Or visit our podcast site at OneInTenPodcast.org. And join us on Facebook at One in Ten podcast.

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Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities are more than three times more likely to experience abuse and neglect than children without these disabilities. We should see a prevention landscape filled with programs tailored to these children. Yet, as Dr. Melissa Bright from the Center for Violence Prevention Research tells us, few such programs exist, and even fewer have been researched for their effectiveness. Why does so little research exist on this uniquely vulnerable population? For child abuse professionals, how might we create or adapt prevention programs for these children? And how do we approach parents and caregivers who may have questions or concerns about prevention programming for their child? Take a listen.

Topics in this episode:

• Origin story (01:35)
• Unique vulnerabilities (04:35)
• Why so few prevention programs? (07:41)
• Focus groups (11:05)
• State-required prevention education (20:56)
• Advice for child abuse professionals (25:42)
• You’re not innovating if it doesn’t work (29:10)
• Public policy implications (37:37)
• For more information (40:06)

Links:

Melissa Bright, Ph.D., founder and executive director of the Center for Violence Prevention Research

“Parents’ and professionals perspectives on school-based maltreatment prevention education for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” Csenge B. Bődi, Diana P. Ortega, LouAnne B. Hawkins, Tyler G. James, Melissa A. Bright, Child Abuse & Neglect, Vol. 145, 2023, 106428, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106428

Erin’s Law

Jenna’s Law

 For more information about National Children’s Alliance and the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers, visit our website at NationalChildrensAlliance.org. Or visit our podcast website at OneInTenPodcast.org. And join us on Facebook at One in Ten podcast.

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Did you like this episode? Please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.

While the presence of child sexual abuse images in child sexual abuse cases is not new, the sheer scale and scope and ubiquity of it all is. The exponential growth in the trading of these images has created a sophisticated marketplace designed around exploiting children. Three guests join us today to discuss child sexual abuse materials online (CSAM): Elizabeth and Ted Cross and Stefan Turkheimer. 

What Liz and Ted set out to learn was the degree to which incest played into the production of this material, what types of sex acts those trading in CSAM were most interested in, and what ages were most common among the child victims. It’s terribly disturbing but also important for us to understand in order to properly combat it.  

We speak with Stefan about important policy implications. What can policy makers do to hold tech companies more responsible for preventing the proliferation of these materials? And how do we leverage the resources needed to serve victims? Please take a listen.

Topics in this episode:

• The scope of the problem (2:06)
• A sea of red dots (4:16)
• Research design (12:35)
• Findings (20:41)
• Severity of abuse (24:03)
• The link with incest (28:45)
• Public policy (30:25)
• Implications for practice (38:29)
• For more information (41:25)

Links:

Elizabeth Cross, Ph.D., Cross Associates Research & Evaluation Services, LLC, and adjunct professor of social work and child advocacy at Montclair State University

Theodore Cross, Ph.D., senior research specialist – research professor, Children and Family Research Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Stefan Turkheimer, vice president for public policy, RAINN

NCMEC CyberTipline

Child Rescue Coalition 

Map and severity of abuse list from a presentation by Cross, Cross, Cooper, Turkheimer, and Bailey to the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Congress

Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC)

Camille Cooper

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act

EARN IT Act

Project Safe Childhood Act

Child Rescue Act

For more information about National Children’s Alliance and the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers, visit our website at NationalChildrensAlliance.org. Or visit our podcast website at OneInTenPodcast.org. And join us on Facebook at One in Ten podcast.

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The rise in myths and conspiracy theories about human trafficking have been one of the most frustrating parts of being a child abuse professional over the past few years. It has been a deadly game of whack a mole, because as soon as one myth or conspiracy theory is debunked, yet another arises.

Dr. Maureen Kenny, a professor of psychology at Florida International University, set out to explore why and how these conspiracy theories were endorsed by a diverse college population in hopes that this would give us insight into better education strategies for the wider public. If you have ever moaned and groaned your way through a media report with whackadoodle ideas about trafficking or rolled your eyes at a movie that depicted it all wrong, this episode is for you. Please take a listen.

Topics in this episode:

• Origin story (1:55)
• What is human trafficking? (3:01)
• Why the uptick in myths and conspiracy theories? (5:06)
• Why we want to believe (13:13)
• Language choices (16:42)
• What kids need to know (18:49)
• Surprising findings (22:41)
• The scale of misinformation (24:41)
• Influencing the influencers (26:15)
• Future research (31:27)
• Advice for child abuse professionals (37:40)
• One bright note (38:50)
• For more information (40:10)

Links:

Maureen C. Kenny, Ph.D., professor, associate chair Academic Personnel and Diversity, Florida International University

“Conspiracy Theories of Human Trafficking: Knowledge and Perceptions Among a Diverse College Population,” Maureen C. Kenny, Claire Helpingstine, and Tracy Borelus (2023), Journal of Human Trafficking, DOI: 10.1080/23322705.2023.2225367

The study Teresa mentions: “‘Influencing the Influencers:’ A Field Experimental Approach to Promoting Effective Mental Health Communication on TikTok,” Matt Motta, Yuning Liu, and Amanda Yarnell (2023); there are multiple news stories about the study, including a recent NPR article by Andrea Muraskin (January 5, 2024)

Dr. Kenny suggests these websites to learn more about myths and facts of human trafficking:

• Polaris Project 
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Trafficking In Persons, OUT OF THE SHADOWS: Exposing the Myths of Human Trafficking (hhs.gov) 
• National Human Trafficking Hotline: Myths & Facts

For more information about National Children’s Alliance and the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers, visit our website at NationalChildrensAlliance.org. Or visit our podcast website at OneInTenPodcast.org. And join us on Facebook at One in Ten podcast.

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