Title: Bitter Earth Child Sexual Abuse in Indian Country
Series: Discussion Guide
Author: Office for Victims of Crime
Published: October 1999
Subject: Child Sexual Abuse; Native Americans
8 pages
17,000 bytes

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Bitter Earth: Child Sexual Abuse in Indian Country

A Production of:

National Indian Justice Center, Inc.
#7 Fourth Street
Suite 46
Petaluma,CA 94952
707-762-8113 
Fax: 707-762-7681 

Office for Victims of Crime

Office of Justice Programs

U.S. Department of Justice 

Washington, D.C. 

February 1993
Revised September 1999

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Office for Victims of Crime Resource Center

Established by the Office for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of
Justice, the Office for Victims of Crime Resource Center (OVCRC) seeks
to increase awareness of the needs of crime victims and improve services
to these victims. 

Through OVCRC you can access the most comprehensive criminal justice
library in the world--the National Criminal Justice Reference Service
(NCJRS) Research and Information Center. This collection contains the
most up-to-date research findings, statistical reports, program descriptions,
and evaluations on victim issues published by public and private sources.
OVCRC's resources also include a well-established network of victim
advocates and organizations. 

OVCRC staff conduct outreach at national, State, and local conferences.
They can provide you with individual copies of published materials or
bulk copies for mailings, workshops, and conferences. 

Contact the Office for Victims of Crime Resource Center by calling 1-
800-627-6872 or writing to OVCRC, P.O. Box 6000, Rockville, MD
20849-6000. Resources are also available 24 hours a day through the
World Wide Web on the NCJRS home page (www.ncjrs.gov) and OVC 
home page (www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/).

For additional information on child sexual abuse, contact:

National Indian Justice Center
The McNear Building
#7 Fourth Street, Suite 46
Petaluma, CA 94952
707-762-8113
Fax: 707-762-7681

The development of this video and guide was supported by Cooperative
Agreement No. 90-VI-GX-K001 awarded by the Office for Victims of
Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The
opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this
document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the
official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Office for Victims of Crimes is a component of the Office of Justice
Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the
Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office
of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

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Bitter Earth is an educational tool for increasing the awareness of child
sexual abuse in Indian Country among community members and
non-Indian service providers. The video can be shown in groups, families,
or can be viewed privately by individuals. The content of the video may be
disturbing to some viewers as it may trigger memories of abuse. Prior to
viewing the video, it will be helpful to inform people of the reactions that
they may experience and to identify the local resources available to
provide counseling or other assistance. While some may wish to view the
video in private, it is important for everyone to know that emotional
responses to parts of the video are normal for people who have
experienced or witnessed abuse.

For agencies utilizing Bitter Earth as a training tool, it will be useful to
develop educational handouts to accompany the video. These may include
the signs and symptoms of child sexual abuse as well as local resources
available to victims of child sexual abuse, past and present, as well as
other issues (e.g., discussing male victimization, juvenile perpetrators,
multiple perpetrator molestation, female perpetrators, etc.). Other ideas for
discussion topics or handouts include:

1. What resources are available in your community for assisting child
sexual abuse victims and their families? This discussion can help
community members and service providers identify unmet needs and
begin to plan for meeting these needs.

2. Who handles child sexual abuse cases in your community? Are these
cases handled in a sensitive and appropriate manner? In many
com-munities the agencies involved in handling child sexual abuse cases
include: Social Services (either tribal, state, county, or Bureau of Indian
Affairs), law enforcement (Bureau of Indian Affairs, tribal, state, FBI,
and/or county), judicialincluding prosecutors, judges, and other court
staff (tribal, federal, and/or state), behavioral or mental health (tribal
and/or Indian Health Service), hospitals (Indian Health Service or tribal),
schools (tribal, BIA, and/or public), and of course the victims family and
friends.The video can provide an opportunity for viewers to identify how
child sexual abuse cases are handled in the community and to explore
ways to improve the systems response to child sexual abuse.

Many tribal communities have multidisciplinary teams, often called CPTs
(child protection teams), SCAN teams (suspected child abuse and neglect),
or MDTs (multidisciplinary teams). These types of teams can be effective
in coordinating services for child sexual abuse victims. The teams will be
especially effective if they have the backing and active support of tribal
leaders.

3. What is the tribal leaderships role in responding to child sexual abuse
in the community? Tribal leaders play a vital role in education, prevention,
and intervention services for the communities. A discussion can include
identification of the role tribal leaders currently play in this issue as well
as identifying additional ways for tribal leaders to become involved. Some
ideas include passing a children's bill of rights, resolutions and activities in
recognition of child abuse prevention month (April) and domestic violence
awareness month (October), and creating or updating existing family
protection codes (including mandatory arrest procedures).

4. How does the community as a whole respond to child sexual abuse?
What are community members doing to deal with the child sexual abuse
problem in the community? 

5. The discussion by a victim's mother regarding her daughter's medical
exam may cause concern. This issue is a very important one for discussion
in your community. Are there physicians in the community who have been
specially trained to perform child sexual abuse exams? It is vital that they
receive such training to avoid the problems outlined in the victims
mother's statement. There are alternatives to performing a physical exam
on a screaming, traumatized child and, in the process, retraumatizing the
child. Such alternatives can include, when medically indicated, sedating a
child victim. However, physicians who have not received specialized
training in performing child sexual abuse exams may be unaware of the
available alternatives.

6. Jurisdictional issues can cause confusion among service providers and
community members. Discussions aimed at clarifying jurisdictional
confusion may be very helpful. Does the audience know which agencies
have jurisdiction in child sexual abuse cases in the areas of law
enforcement, child protection, and judicial services, including how these
jurisdictional concerns are influenced by factors such as whether the
perpetrator is an Indian or non-Indian, where the abuse occurred, the
existing tribal codes, etc. It is crucial that everyone clearly understands
these issues.

7. The video highlights the importance of victim/child advocates in
assisting child victims and their families through "the system." Does your
community offer these victim assistance services to child sexual abuse
victims? If not, what actions can the community take to make victim
advocacy services available? If such services are available, does the
community know about them or is additional community education
necessary and what will the audience do to provide this education?

8. The video includes a list of behavioral symptoms which indicate child
sexual abuse. This information is vitally important. It is suggested that you
develop a handout to distribute to community members which outlines
behavioral symptoms of child sexual abuse and that all of those working
with children in your community are aware of these signs.

Community members viewing the video may identify children who exhibit
several behavioral indicators of abuse. The video can be accompanied by a
more in-depth discussion of how to evaluate children with behavioral
symptoms, when it is appropriate to make a report of suspected child
sexual abuse (including where and how to make such a report), as well as
support, and referrals, if necessary, for people who are concerned that a
child they know has been abused. 

9. What types of traditional beliefs and healing approaches can be utilized
to make available resources culturally relevant? If you have a local
prevention, education, and/or treatment program, does this program
integrate traditional values and beliefs? Many professionals working in
Indian Country are non-Indian and may be unfamiliar with the
community's cultural beliefs and traditional healing practices. It is vital
that community members and non-community members work together to
develop programs that reflect the beliefs, values, and traditions of the
community they serve.

There are a number of issues which are briefly touched on in the video,
due to lack of time. These issues also deserve discussion and should be
incorporated as part of any education presentation.

10. Juvenile Perpetrators. Virtually every community, Indian and
non-Indian, has noted a dramatic increase in the number of reported
juvenile child sex offenders. While many people find it difficult to believe
that a 6-year-old can molest a younger child, or that a 10-year-old is
capable of rape, these activities take place with disturbing regularity. It is
important to discuss the fact that juvenile sex offenders exist and that they
pose a serious threat to the safety of all other children. The question of
treatment for juvenile offenders will undoubtedly arise during any
discussion of this type. The question is a difficult one to answer. Most
reservation communities do not offer treatment services for juvenile
offenders. While there are a growing number of off-reservation treatment
programs for juvenile sex offenders, many of these programs have not yet
produced long-term data on effectiveness.

The issue of juvenile offenders, including treatment options and possible
criminal prosecution (in both federal and tribal courts) is important for
every community to address.

11. Dynamics of Incest. The video does not give an in-depth look at the
family dynamics of incest. Community education in this area can be
especially useful in assisting community members in identifying families
in which incest may be occurring.

12. The relationship between substance abuse and sexual abuse. There are
many implications of this relationship, including the challenges of FAS
(fetal alcohol syndrome) and FAE (fetal alcohol effect) victims and
perpetrators. Many people believe that when alcohol is involved in sexual
abuse, that treatment of the offender's alcohol problem will also solve the
sexual abuse problem. This is a misperception which must be addressed so
that appropriate sanctions and treatment can be offered to offenders.

The issues of FAS and FAE interact with sexual abuse in a frightening
manner. Child sexual abuse victims who have FAS may be poor witnesses
in criminal proceedings. They may be seen by sex offenders as potential
victims for this reason. Additionally, some FAS children may lack the
cognitive ability to defend themselves against abuse. FAS and FAE
children may lack an understanding of cause and effect and may have
difficulty understanding why sexual exploitation of another person is
wrong. Psychological treatment for FAS/FAE victims of child sexual
abuse adds an extra dimension for the therapist. Ensuring these
children's continued safety is an extra challenge for the community. 

Child sexual abuse is one of the most difficult issues for a community to
deal with. After generations of silence, it is difficult for community
members to feel comfortable talking about child sexual abuse, especially
to outsiders. Denial about the existence of sexual abuse, as well as a desire
to avoid "airing dirty laundry in public," may make tribal leaders and
members particularly sensitive to dealing with child sexual abuse. Thus,
victims of sexual abuse and their families may feel isolated and alone.
They may face strong community and family pressure to maintain the
silence and denial which traditionally accompanies child sexual abuse.

This video is a first step in helping Indian people break the silence and
denial and to begin the healing of our children, our families, and our
communities.

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Suggested Reading

The Courage to Heal, by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis, Harper and Row,
NY. (1988)

Let the Healing Begin, Nicola Valley Institute of Technology, Publications
Department, Box 399, Merritt, B.C. V0K 2B0.

Outgrowing the Pain: A Book for and about Adults Abused as Children,
by Eliana Gil, Launch Press. (1984)

Treating the Young Male Victim of Sexual Assault: Issues and
Intervention Strategies, by Eugene Porter, Safer Society Press, Orwell,
VT. (1986)

The Secret Trauma: Incest in the Lives of Girls and Women, by Diana
Russell, Basic Books, NY. (1986)

The Spirit Weeps: Characteristics and Dynamics of Incest and Child
Sexual Abuse, by Tony Martens, published by: Nechi Institute, Box 3884,
Postal Station D, Edmonton, AB, T5L 4K1, CANADA. (1988)

Vulnerable Populations (Volumes I and II), edited by Suzanne Sgroi,
Lexington Books, Lexington, MA.

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For additional information on child sexual abuse, contact the National
Indian Justice Center

The McNear Building, #7 Fourth Street, Ste. 46, Petaluma, CA 94952.
707-762-8113.

The National Indian Justice Center (NIJC) has a series of resource
materials concerning child sexual abuse in Indian Country, including the
following:

Child Sexual Abuse Training Manual. This training manual offers a
comprehensive presentation of substantive and procedural information
necessary to effectively handle child sexual abuse cases in Indian Country.
Chapters include: (1) Overview of Child Sexual Abuse; (2) Reporting
Policies and Procedures; (3) Law Enforcement Investigation of Child
Sexual Abuse; (4) Child Protection Services and Victim Services; (5)
Interviewing Child Sexual Abuse Victims; (6) Tribal/Federal Coordination
of Child Sexual Abuse Cases; (7) Child Sexual Abuse Cases in Tribal
Court; (8) Witness and Evidentiary Considerations in Child Sexual Abuse
Cases; (9) Roles in Child Sexual Abuse Cases; (10) Sentencing, Treatment
and Resource Development; and (11) Problem Areas in Child Sexual
Abuse. The 750+ page manual is in a seven ring binder and is available for
$69 (includes shipping and handling).

Child Sexual Abuse Protocol Development Guide. The NIJC has
developed an extensive protocol development guide for child sexual abuse
cases. An interagency child sexual abuse protocol is a written document
outlining each agency's specific role and responsibility in the investigation
and prosecution of child sexual abuse. This protocol guide includes
general guidelines for protocol development and examples of various
types of protocols. It is available from NIJC for $10 (includes shipping
and handling).

Child Sexual Abuse Tribal Code Revision Resource Packet. This tribal
code revision resource packet is designed to provide assistance for Indian
tribes seeking to improve the handling of child sexual abuse cases. The
resource packet includes both possible guidelines for use in revising tribal
codes to improve the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases in
Indian Country and extensive supplemental resource materials. The 500+
page resource packet is available from the NIJC for $25 (includes shipping
and handling).