Online sexual abuse of children with disabilities: Analyzing reports of social workers' case files in Israel.

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  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Elsevier Science Inc Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 7801702 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-7757 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 01452134 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Child Abuse Negl Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Publication: Oxford : Elsevier Science Inc
      Original Publication: Oxford, Elmsford, N. Y., Pergamon Press.
    • Subject Terms:
      Disabled Children*/psychology ; Disabled Children*/statistics & numerical data ; Social Workers*/psychology ; Child Abuse, Sexual*/psychology ; Child Abuse, Sexual*/statistics & numerical data; Humans ; Israel/epidemiology ; Child ; Female ; Male ; Adolescent ; Risk Factors ; Internet ; Cyberbullying/psychology ; Cyberbullying/statistics & numerical data ; Adult ; Child, Preschool ; Hotlines/statistics & numerical data ; Qualitative Research
    • Abstract:
      Background: Online child sexual abuse (OCSA) is a growing social concern. However, its manifestations among children with disabilities (CWDs), who face an increased risk of sexual abuse, remain largely unexamined.
      Objective: This study aims to fill this gap by examining professionals' perspectives of the OCSA of CWDs through their work at the 105 Hotline, an Israeli national call center that accepts queries and reports of the cyber victimization of minors.
      Methods: A mixed methods research design was employed. A quantitative analysis was performed on 114 case files involving the OCSA of CWDs, followed by a thematic content analysis of 23 follow-up files by social workers.
      Results: The quantitative findings revealed various characteristics of the survivors, their families, and OCSA. The qualitative analysis revealed that professionals indicate multiple interrelated risk factors for the OCSA of CWDs on three levels: child, related to the child's characteristics and disability traits; family, referring to familial complexities, parenting challenges, and socio-economic position; and relational, referring to the online abusive relationships between the perpetrator and the survivor. Furthermore, the online platform comprised characteristics that enhanced the risk of OCSA of CWDs.
      Conclusions: The understanding that the OCSA of CWDs as a compounded risk that encompasses personal and environmental risk dimensions is necessary and should guide all professionals' decisions and actions. There is also an urgent need for governmental and community efforts to develop measures, policies, and support systems to reduce OCSA risks for CWDs. Moreover, knowledge and interventions should be developed for professionals and parents of CWDs to improve the identification and response to this overlooked phenomenon.
      Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None.
      (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
    • Contributed Indexing:
      Keywords: Child protection service professionals; Children with disabilities (CWDs); OCSA disclosure; Online child sexual abuse (OCSA); Perpetrator-survivor dynamics
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20240608 Date Completed: 20240809 Latest Revision: 20240809
    • Publication Date:
      20240812
    • Accession Number:
      10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106869
    • Accession Number:
      38850752