The Behavioral Health Sector Response to Child Sexual Abuse, Exploitation, and Trafficking: A Call to Action

Abstract

Child sexual violence is a major public health problem in India and is associated with myriad short- and long-term behavioral health effects. Affected children are at an increased risk of post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, anxiety disorders, behavioral problems, and substance misuse. Behavioral health professionals are highly likely to encounter patients at risk of or with a recent/remote history of child sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, or sex trafficking. Caregivers of patients may report a history of child sexual violence. Clinicians must possess the knowledge and skills to recognize and appropriately respond to suspected child sexual violence using a culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and rights-based approach. Many behavioral health professionals lack the knowledge of child sexual violence and the confidence of working with affected patients. Child sexual violence is not routinely addressed in medical school curricula, nor is it systematically addressed in postgraduate training programs. Practicing clinicians may feel ill-equipped to recognize and manage patients exposed to child sexual violence and may miss opportunities to offer critical support and assistance to vulnerable children and their families. The behavioral health sector needs an organized, systematic, and trauma-informed response to child sexual violence, and this requires specific training of professionals and development of organizational response protocols tailored to fit the needs of the organization and its patient population. Multiple resources are available in India to assist behavioral health professionals, and organization administrators accomplish these goals.