FW: Effects of Meeting the Abuser

["Lisa fontes" <lfontes@xxxxxxx>]

Important forwarded request from a colleague in argentina. Please make
sure to include her in any replies to the list. 
Lisa Fontes

-----Original Message-----
From: ISPCAN [mailto:ispcan@ispcan.org] 
Sent: Monday, February 23, 2004 10:41 AM
To: ispcan-list@list.ispcan.org
Subject: Effects of Meeting the Abuser


February 23, 2004

Dear Colleagues, 

I would feel very grateful if someone can help me with a case of twins
(boys) who have been sexually abused by their father. They have been my
patients since they were four years old (October, 2002) after they
disclosed and were examined at the Minority Courts, where they were able
to prove anal injuries which agreed with the boys’ descriptions of toys
and different objects used by their father and that the boys feared
because of ache. There was also my professional diagnosis of sexual
abuse, through a psychotherapy process with play hour, drawings and
video projections of material in order to make the boys aware of adults’
wrong sexual behavior with children. In addition, there was the same
diagnosis of sexual abuse made by another psychologist who has been
working with one of the boys since August 2003, because of the Family
Court’s acceptance of the father’s solicitation to prevent me from
assisting his sons. In spite of this, the same Family Court at Mar del
Plata city, Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina (where I have lived and
worked for the last five years) has decided to order the children to
meet their father once a week because the judge denies all the evidence
and professional indications to prevent children from meet with their
abuser as it will negatively affect their good psychological and
physical development (both boys suffer of skin, digestive and
respiratory psychosomatic illnesses, encopresis, insomnia, nightmares,
aggressive behavior, peers’ isolation, etc.). The judge has made up her
mind just at the same moment that the Penalty Court has announced that
the Trial will begin by May or June, this year . Meanwhile, the first
meeting has already taken place, and, after that meeting, one of the
boys shows deep resistance to disclose “because he doesn’t want his
father to be sad” and “because his father has given them gifts of some
pencils and books”. The next meeting will take place on Friday and the
judge has ordered the Police to pick up the children if their mother
neglects to take them. May someone help me with some research or paper
that clearly explains the dangers for children’s psychological
development if they meet their abusers? I have looked for some material
in the INTERPOL Handbook, the web site of the Department of Justice
(USA), ISPCAN Journals, and so on, but I could find nothing clear to
send to the Courts to stop their decisions and protect the children from
dangerous psychological effects.

Thank you,

Dr. Ana María Martorella
amartor@intramed.net.ar 
Paediatrician – Children’s Psychiatrist 
A.P.A.I. President ( Argentine Association for Prevention Child Abuse
and Neglect ) Pcia. Buenos Aires 
Argentina

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