Reference no: EM133672682
Assignment:
1. All 50 states have passed some form of mandatory reporting law for cases of child abuse, including cases of physical and sexual abuse. Although mandatory reporting varies by state, the majority of those specified to report include teachers and other educational service workers, social service workers, law enforcement officials, and other health and mental health care workers. However, remember that much of the information we have about the true magnitude of sexual assault comes from victimization surveys.
Yet some national surveys, including the NCVS funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, do not require interviewers to report incidents of uncovered abuse against children to authorities. What are the ethical issues that surround such practices? Does the protection of children outweigh the need to gather information on their victimization? Should respondents who report their victimizations also be told about victims' services that may be available in their area?
2. You have access to your state's criminal statutes for all crimes, including rape and sexual assaults. One way to access state statutes is through the RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network) website. Find your state's statutes for sexual assault and see how they provide protection to victims. Does your state have a form of rape shield law that in some way prohibits information about a victim's sexual history from being used in court? Is there gender-neutral language written into the statutes? Is an incident considered a crime regardless of the victim-offender relationship? What type of corroborating evidence, if any, is required?
3. Go to the CDC website and find the report summarizing the results from the most recent NISVS. Using this publication as a resource, discuss how the findings from this survey did or did not conform to what you believed about rape victimizations before you read this chapter and this publication.
4. On the DHS website, there is a page devoted to human trafficking. Go to the page and explore the available information. Make a list of what you believed human trafficking was before you read this chapter and then examine the myths of human trafficking that are highlighted on this webpage. Did you have similar ideas and perceptions about human trafficking? How have your perceptions changed since reading this chapter?