Last update - 00:00 21/06/2007
Skill shortage delays investigation of child sexual abuse claims
By Ruth Sinai, Haaretz Correspondent
Children who have been sexually molested by a family member may be forced to wait up to three months before being questioned by police for lack of youth investigators, says the National Council for the Child.
A boy, 12, who has complained to police about being abused by three sexual molesters may not be called in for questioning before the end of August.
"This is destructive for the child, who agonized a lot before mustering the courage to complain. The message is loud and clear: 'Too bad you complained, your molesters will remain free," wrote the council's director general, Yitzhak Kadman, to MK Shelly Yachimovich, chair of the Knesset's Committee for Children's Rights (Labor) and MK Moshe Sharoni (Pensioners), chair of the Labor and Social Affairs Committee.
Kadman urged them to hold an urgent joint debate on the issue.
The law forbids the police from interrogating children under the age of 14 in sexual molestation cases or those where the child is believed to be the victim of domestic violence. Only social workers trained to question children are authorized to handle the task.
"A child who was attacked must be questioned immediately after lodging a complaint," wrote Kadman. "Every delay is an intolerable crime toward these children, whom we encourage to speak out about what happened to them."
Among those waiting to be questioned is a boy, 10, who was allegedly sexually molested by a neighbor and whose parents complained to the police six weeks ago; a boy, 8, who complained two month ago of being beaten by his father; and a boy, 11, who said he was beaten by both parents and threatened suicide.