Child abuse is a serious crime; this is a known fact. However, are children always a reliable source of information? Some experts do not think so. The criminal process of a child abuse case is a critical issue, and in some cases, the testimony of a child should be doubted.

Child abuse generally refers to the mistreatment of a child by a parent or other adult. It includes life threatening physical violence, including severe beatings, burns, and strangulation. It also may involve sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. The number one cause of child abuse is the parents' stress. Many who hurt children may only intend to correct them, but do not realize how easily they can be injured.

Everyone must report suspected child abuse because failure to make a report is a misdemeanor and punishable by up to six months in prison and a five hundred dollar fine. However, in most cases, there is little or no evidence of the abuse or the identity of the abuser other than the child's statements. It must be recognized that false accusations of child abuse are harmful to the child because the accused parent is taken out of their life.

The accusatory process of an abuse parent requires criti

were forced into a coffin and buried.

Several factors affect child testimony. The interviewer, for example, automatically assumes what happens and tries to get the child to confirm it. Also, young children are more likely to change answers to the same yes or no question if it is repeated in an interview. In addition, reports can be influenced by stereotypes suggested by the interviewer. When children are asked to "think real hard" about events they do not remember, they can come to "remember," and then describe an event that never occurred. Also, an interviewer may tell a child that another child told about an event and reported that they were there too. Children may also adopt into their own memory ideas that their peers told them. Finally, children generally see adults as all knowing and trustworthy, and this can influence their response to questioning by adults.

were taken to Palm Springs in an airplane or hot air balloon, abused, and returned.

In recent studies, children made errors in reporting details of what they had seen in the studies. The errors were caused by suggestive questioning by an interviewer. The studies indicate that children can be led by a persistent interviewer to change descriptions of events. All of these studies address what has been and will continue to be a critical issue in the investigations of child abuse.

It has been discovered that children may be led to make false accusations of abuse. They may not give accurate information unless they are asked specific, leading questions. However, some suggestive leading questions can manipulate young children into believi

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