Center for Sex Offender Management
This is a Project of the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs. "Established in June 1997, the Center for Sex Offender Management's (CSOM) goal is to enhance public safety by preventing further victimization through improving the management of adult and juvenile sex offenders who are in the community." CSOM's goals are carried out through three activity areas, including information exchange. In addition to an "Ask COSM" feature, their Documents section has a wealth of informative html and pdf materials, including "Myths and Facts About Sex Offenders" in html and pdf formats, and "Recidivism of Sex Offenders," also in html and pdf. Finally, their Reference Library has a searchable documents database and a topically organized list of National Resource Group Recommended Readings. Finally,
FaithTrust Institute
"FaithTrust Institute is an international, multifaith organization working to end sexual and domestic violence. We provide communities and advocates with the tools and knowledge they need to address the religious and cultural issues related to abuse. FaithTrust Institute works with many communities, including Asian and Pacific Islander, Buddhist, Jewish, Latino/a, Muslim, Black, Anglo, Indigenous, Protestant and Roman Catholic." Their site has a number of resources on the issue of Sexual Abuse by Clergy.
Childhelp USA
Childhelp USA is a non-profit organization "dedicated to meeting the physical, emotional, educational, and spiritual needs of abused and neglected children." Its programs and services include a hotline (800-422-4453) that children can call with complete anonymity and confidentiality. To know what to expect when you call, see How We Help. From the site: "The Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline is open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Don't be afraid to call. No one is silly or unimportant to us. If something is bothering you or you want information, CALL!" To learn more about reporting child abuse or neglect in your state, see Report Child Abuse.
ChildTrauma Academy
This organization, Directed by Dr. Bruce Perry, "focuses on service, training and research in the area of child maltreatment." The site has a number of articles by Dr. Perry, including explanations of child abuse effects and Helping Traumatized Children: A Brief Overview for Caregivers.
Child Abuse - Article in online Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia
An informative article by researcher pioneering researcher and author, Richard Gelles, Ph.D. Broadly and topically covers the following issues: Types, Prevalence, Causes, Effects on Children, Protecting Children.
Child Abuse Legislation Study Project
"A non-profit organization dedicated to tracking bills, laws, and legislative action on child abuse, incest, and domestic violence."
Child Welfare
This site has a wealth of scholarly resources, including an online journal, Child Welfare Review, and information about the Oxford University Press Series in Child Welfare Practice, Policy and Research.
Common Responses to Trauma - And Coping Responses
This two-page handout, by Dr. Patti Levin, provides excellent and helpful information and suggestions. Dr. Levin's site has other helpful handouts and excellent information on how to choose a therapist. (The above link is to a PDF file, and it's also available as a web page.)
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)
"Volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) are everyday people who are appointed by judges to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children. A CASA volunteer stays with each child until he or she is placed into a safe, permanent and nurturing home." More than 900 CASA programs are in operation across the United States, with 52,000 women and men serving as CASA volunteers. This website of National CASA explains what CASA's do, how to become one, etc.
Crimes Against Children Research Center
"The mission of the Crimes against Children Research Center (CCRC) is to combat crimes against children by providing high quality research and statistics to the public, policy makers, law enforcement personnel, and other child welfare practitioners." The center is directed by Dr. David Finkelhor, a sociologist and internationally recognized expert on child victimization, including child sexual abuse. The site has many good resources, including a Publications section with the paper, The Decline in Child Sexual Abuse Cases, a classic 1993 scholarly review paper, The impact of sexual abuse on children: A review and synthesis of recent empirical studies, and an excellent Fact Sheet with facts and statistics compiled from a variety of sources.
David Baldwin's Trauma Info Pages
These pages are loaded with scholarly resources and references to work on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, especially from neuropsychological and cognitive-behavioral perspectives.
EMDR Institute
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) has been proven to be an effective and efficient treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which can be an effect of childhood abuse. It can be particularly helpful at transforming intrusive and upsetting memories of abuse, and does not require one to talk about what happened in detail (fors those avoiding therapy for this reason). In recent years, therapists have learned how to use EMDR with children. The EMDR Institute provides referrals to EDMR-trained therapists around the country (by zipcode) and around the world; follow the link from the home page.
You can also find EMDR therapists through the Find a Therapist service of the EMDR International Association, whose primary objective is to "establish, maintain and promote the highest standards of excellence and integrity in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) practice, research and education."
Jennifer J. Freyd's Trauma, Memory, and Betrayal Trauma Research
This page has links to reviews of Dr. Freyd's books and web pages on which she discusses several clarifying perspectives on these issues, including her theory of why it is adaptive for some children not to remember childhood abuse experiences.
Healing from Childhood Sexual Abuse: Book Reviews
Scott Abraham reviews eight books for men who were sexually abused in childhood. Good review, very helpful. If you're considering buying a book, read this first.
isurvive.org - Abuse Surivors Learning to Thrive
This volunteer-run web site and non-profit organization has many great resources – the most valuable being the people who help each other by sharing their experiences, struggles and hard-earned wisdom. There are online chats and forums for survivors of child abuse, including those struggling with addiction and abusing others, as well as friends and family members. It also has a great resources page with many not listed here.
Legal Resources for Victims of Sexual Abuse
This section of Attorny Susan Smith's web site has extensive resources on remedies for victims, statutues of limitations, and mandatory child abuse reporting laws in most states of the U.S.
Lost in the Void
This book is self-published by Lana Walker, an American citizen who has been through a nightmare in the British courts – not only losing custody of her children, but any and all contact with them. She has written this book to alert parents, both mothers and fathers, who marry citizens of other countries and live in those countries with their children, about how vulnerable they and their children are to terrible injustices committed by another country's laws and courts.
Making Daughters Safe Again
This organization and its web site, founded and directed by a graduate student in clinical psychology, provide "support for survivors of mother-daughter sexual abuse."
MaleSurvivor: National Organization against Male Sexual Victimization
Their mission: "We are committed to preventing, healing, and eliminating all forms of sexual victimization of boys and men through treatment, research, education, advocacy, and activism." Their site has many helpful resources.
Pat McClendon's Clinical Social Work Home Page
These are general mental health pages with a focus on abuse and trauma resources, especially those related to dissociation.
National Child Protection Clearinghouse (NCPC)
Great official Australian site with an exceptional Publications section, including full-text articles on child abuse, its effects, and how to prevent it - some quite in-depth, sophisticated, and scholarly. For help with accessing NCPC statistical information, see above, Official Statistics: Australia.
National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTS)
This network of treatment centers was created by an initiative of the US Congress just a few years ago. Their mission is "To raise the standard of care and improve access to services for traumatized children, their families and communities throughout the United States." The site has many great resources, including for parents, caregivers, and school personnel.
National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect (NCCAN)
Official U.S. site with an excellent searchable catalog of publications (try searching with terms like "bibliography," "fact sheet," "prevention," and "webliography"). Many publications are available in Spanish. See also the Frequently Asked Questions on child abuse and neglect, child welfare, and foster care. For help with accessing NCCAN statistical information, see above, Official Statistics: United States.
National Clearinghouse on Family Violence (NCFV)
Official Canadian site with several "fact sheets," an extensive Publications section addressing Child Abuse and Neglect, Child Sexual Abuse, and Family Violence, Intimate Partner Abuse Against Men, Intimate Partner Abuse Against Women, and Preventing Family Violence , a collection of videos for the general public and professionals. For help with accessing NCFV statistical information, see above, Official Statistics: Canada.
National Crime Victim Bar Association
An organization of attorneys who work for victims of crime, including child abuse, to pursue civil cases against perpetrators and other parties who may be found liable for physical and mental injuries suffered. See "Info for Victims," which includes information about how to find a qualified local attorney through their service.
Partners and Allies of Sexual Assault Survivors Resource List
This page by Kerry Cater, M.S.W., at The Wounded Healer Journal provides a comprehensive list of resources, from Internet mailing lists and newsgroups to newsletters and books, some of which can be ordered online.
Psychological Trauma and Substance Abuse in Women
This site, by Barbara Hilliard, M.Ed., has some excellent resources on psychological trauma, posttraumatic stress disoreder and substance abuse for women struggling with these issues and those who treat them. In addition to links to various organizations and informative articles, including Barbara's Getting Sober While Staying Sane.
Publicizing Child Molester's Prison Release
This site belongs to Mark Welch, a California lawyer who has publicized the release from prison of his brother, who has admitted to sexually abusing him in childhood. This is clearly a very controversial issue. Mr. Welch provides a thoughtful essay on publicizing the release of one's perpetrator, including various ethical considerations.
Safer Society Foundation
The Safer Society Foundation, Inc. (SSF) is a nonprofit agency and national research, advocacy, and referral center for the prevention and treatment of sexual abuse. The SSF provides training and consultation to individuals, agencies, states and organizations. Their Web site has a list of Safer Society Press books and videos. For information about their "Treatment Referrals Program" for sexual abuse perpetrators, see their Contact Us page.
The Sexual Assault Information Page
This site is now only available in archive format (last version of October 2001, but is still very useful with its over 400 links to information and resources on child abuse and neglect, as well as the sexual assault of adults.
Sidran Foundation Online Resources
This is a national non-profit organization that offers services to people who have experienced trauma and/or suffer from dissociative disorders, and those who provide services to them. There are many excellent resources here, including a Traumatic Memories Brochure and pages with Resources for Survivors and Information for Students.
Silent Edge
This page has links to several resources addressing sexual abuse and exploitation by coaches, particularly of figure skaters.
STOP IT NOW!
"STOP IT NOW!'s mission is to call on all abusers and potential abusers to stop and seek help, to educate adults about the ways to stop sexual abuse, and to increase public awareness of the trauma of child sexual abuse."
SNAP - Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
"SNAP is a national self-help organization of men and women who were sexually abused by Catholic priests (brothers, nuns, deacons, teachers, etc). Members find healing and empowerment by joining with other survivors."
The Trauma Center
The Trauma Center, founded by Bessel van der Kolk, an leading expert in the field of traumatic stress studies, is a clinic affiliated with the Boston University School of Medicine. The site includes pages on the work of Dr. van der Kolk, including links to his articles on the web and psychological trauma assessment instruments.
VOICES In Action, Inc.
Victims of Incest Can Emerge Survivors - "VOICES in Action, Inc. is an international organization to provide assistance to victims of incest and child sexual abuse in becoming survivors and to generate public awareness of the prevalence of incest.
What's Your Fear? - For Abuse Survivors and Their Dentists
As indicated by its name, this page at Dental Fear Central was written for abuse survivors and their dentists, and has some helpful advice on dealing with many of the issues and difficulties that can arise.
The Wounded Healer Journal
"Points of Departure for Psychotherapists and Other Survivors of Abuse." This site, maintained by Linda Chapman, L.C.S.W., has a great wealth of pages and links, including Partners and Allies of Sexual Assault Survivors Resource List.
This list was taken from www.jimhopper.com . I have not personally visited each of these sites, although I have reviewed the list. It seems clear that each one of them have value relating to child sexual abuse. Anyone visiting sites in search of information, please remember that these could have triggering affects. Remember to care for yourself and if needed bookmark them and return at another time! May all who visit our site, find what they search for and attain healing in their own lives! gina