This paper considers the recent recognition in Ireland of the problem of child sexual abuse. In 1983, the Government Department of Health, for the first time, allocated a separate category for it in its statistics. Treatment to date has been one of localised and ad hoc arrangements.
Counseling approaches follow broadly the divisions that exist in the theoretical models that seek to explain the aetiology of abuse. These can be characterised as (1) those programs that derive from the family systems model and that emphasise dysfunctional family dynamics and (2) programs established for the counseling of a wide range of sex offenders, including intrafamily abusers, and which emphasise traits or aspects of individual perpetrator functioning. Both approaches, however, share fundamental prerequisites. These prerequisites are considered.
Three issues are of particular relevance during counseling. The first relates to the child victim at the time of the discovery or disclosure of the abuse, and prior to entry into a family counseling program. The second looks at counseling programs that emphasise the family dimension. The third deals with counseling approaches for perpetrators of abuse. Each of these three topics will be discussed.
Seminars and workshops on child sexual abuse within the family abound in North America. However, it is only since 1983 that the Irish Government's Department of Health has allocated a separate category for it in its statistics. Furthermore, present legislation is obsolete. The Punishment of Incest Act 1908, amended by the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1935, is still the relevant legislation. This act defines incest as 'carnal intercourse whether with consent or not, with a blood relation within the forbidden degree of consanguinity'.
Since the categorisation of child sexual abuse as a distinct problem, the Department of Health has reported a sevenfold increase from 37 cases in 1983 to 274 cases in 1986. A recent study by Rhatigan and O'Leary (1988) found that, in the first ten months of 1987, 133 cases were reported to senior social workers and 78 cases were dealt with by senior clinical psychologists. Given the outdated nature of current legislation, it may be hypothesised that the actual number is considerably higher. If this is the case it is a matter of urgency that appropriate treatment approaches to child sexual abuse be available to professionals working in the area.