The Israeli Independent Public - Abstract of the Inquiry Report - December 2021

Learning from Success

Alongside the many difficulties described by the inquiry participants in their testimonies, in a relatively small number of cases survivors mentioned factors that benefited them as children who had undergone abuse. It is important to consider these cases, since they provide information about helpful factors that created a positive change in the lives of abused children. Examining these cases, we can understand what was helpful to survivors as children and what meaning the aid held for the child. The following themes arose from the testimonies: 1. “They saw me” – the experience of being seen and cared about 2. “Thanks to the close and secure relationship I had with my mom” – the influence of a positive relationship with an adult figure in the life of the abused child 3. “That was my new, safe home” – the importance of quality out-of-home placements for children who suffered intra-familial sexual abuse 4. “I felt they believed me” – on the significance of validating the experience of abuse The few testimonies that described the disclosure of abuse in childhood, following which the child received assistance, reveal the significant factors that had a positive impact on the condition of children who had suffered sexual abuse. Analysis of these testimonies shows that children disclosed the abuse when figures in their immediate surroundings were aware of their emotional state and encouraged them to speak, and when close figures in the child’s life had a positive relationship with them. Reporting the abuse in cases where it was ongoing caused it to cease and the abused child to be referred to treatment. This shows that the figures in question – a teacher, a counselor, an instructor, the child’s mother – to whom they reported the abuse were of crucial importance in their lives.

The Israeli Independent Public Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse

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