Perícia psicológica no abuso sexual de crianças e adolescentes

Abstract

At the same time that allegations of sexual abuse against children and adolescents are frequent, enhancing urgent protective measures for victims and punishment for the perpetrators, there is also an increasing frequency of void allegations. This paper aims to review, from recent national and international literature, the role of psychological examination in child and adolescent sexual abuse. The literature review shows that since lack of physical evidence is common, a wide psychological evaluation is essential, and must integrate different information sources and indicators, some of which are inconsistent and nonspecific. An expert must have extensive training in the field and knowledge of the current legislation, making sure that the evaluation will not turn out to be traumatic for the client.