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Satanic ritual abuse
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Satanic ritual abuse (abbreviated SRA) refers to reports of physical
and sexual abuse of individuals (generally children) in the context of
Satanic rituals. Allegations of SRA first appeared in the early 1980s,
arising mainly in the United States and United Kingdom and to a lesser
extent other parts of the world. The definitions and extent of SRA are
controversial as the reports of it are based mostly on testimonials
and recovered memories. SRA has been described as a moral panic and
compared to the blood libel and witch-hunts of historical Europe[1][2]
and McCarthyism in 20th-century America[3][4][5][6] though some
believe in the reality of the allegations.[7][8] Allegations of and
treatment for SRA has been linked to dissociative identity disorder.
SRA impacted how legal, therapeutic and social work professions dealt
with allegations of abuse.

Definitions
The term "satanic ritual abuse" is used to describe different
behaviors, actions and allegations. In a 1988 United States national
study on sexual abuse in day cares, a three-fold typology was devised
to describe 'ritual abuse' - cult-based ritualism in which the abuse
had a spiritual or social goal for the perpetrators, pseudo-ritualism
in which the goal was sexual gratification and the rituals were used
to frighten or intimidate victims, and psychopathological ritualism in
which the rituals were due to mental disorders.[9] Subsequent
investigators have expanded on these definitions and also pointed to a
fourth alleged type of satanic ritual abuse, in which petty crimes
with ambiguous meaning (such as graffiti or vandalism) generally
comitted by teenagers were attributed to the actions of satanic cults.

By the early 1990s, the phrase "satanic ritual abuse" was featured in
media coverage of ritualistic abuse but its use decreased among
professionals in favour of more nuanced terms such as multi-
dimensional child sex rings[10] ritual/ritualistic abuse,[11]
organised abuse[12] or sadistic abuse,[13] that acknowledged the
complexity of abuse cases with multiple perpetrators and victims
without projecting a religious framework onto perpetrators.

Cult-based abuse
During the initial period of interest from the early 80s the term was
used to describe a network of Satan-worshiping, intergenerational
cults that were described as highly organized and secretive, engaging
in criminal behaviors such as forced prostitution, drug distribution
and pornography, who also sexually abuse and torture children in order
to coerce them into a lifetime of Devil worship[14][15] or otherwise
participate in rituals that were part of religious satanic worship.
Their activities also are alleged to involve kidnapping, infanticide,
cannibalism and ritual sacrifices. No proof of these claims has ever
been found.[16] In 1987, Geraldo Rivera produced a national television
special on these alleged secret cults, claiming "Estimates are that
there are over one million Satanists in [the United States and they
are] linked in a highly organized, secretive network."[17] Tapings of
this and similar talk show episodes are subsequently used by religious
fundamentalists, psychotherapist, social workers and police to promote
the idea that a conspiracy of satanic cults existed and was actually
involved in serious crimes.[18] The idea of a murderous satanic
conspiracy was a controversy that divided the professional child abuse
community though no evidence has been found to support allegations of
a large number of children being killed or abused in satanic rituals.
[19] From a law enforcement perspective, an intergenerational
conspiracy dedicated to ritual sacrifice whose members remain
completely silent, make no mistakes and leave no physical evidence is
unlikely; cases of actual cult sacrifices (such as the 1989 case of
Adolfo Constanzo) have supported this idea.[10]

Pseudo-satanism
Satanic ritual abuse is also used to describe the actions "pseudo-
satanists" who sexually abuse children and use the trappings of
satanic rituals and claims of magical powers to coerce and terrify
victims but do not believe in the rituals.[20][21][10] A survey of
more than 12,000 SRA allegations found no substantiating evidence for
an intergenerational conspiracy though there were several examples of
pseudo-satanists.[22]

Criminal and delusional satanism
A third variation of ritual abuse involves non-religious ritual abuse
in which the rituals were part of a delusional or obsessive.[9] There
may also be isolated incidents of extreme sadistic crimes that are
committed by individuals, loosely organized families and possibly in
some organized cults, some of which may be connected to Satanism,
though this is more likely to be related to sex ring trafficking;
though SRA may happen in families, extended families and regional
groups, it is not believed to occur in large, organized groups.[23]

Acting out
Ambiguous crimes in which actual or erroneously believed symbols of
satanism appear have also been claimed as part of the SRA phenomenon,
though in most cases the crimes can not be linked to a specific belief
system; minor crimes such as vandalism, trespassing and graffiti were
often found to be the actions of teenagers who were acting out.[24][25]
[26] Allegations of alleged victims that were obtained from mental
health practitioners also occurred, but lacked verifiable evidence,
were anecdotal and involved incidents that were years or decades old.
[27]

History
The phrase "satanic ritual abuse" first arose in the mid-1980s to
describe the disclosures of some children in child protection cases,
and some adults in psychotherapy. In the early 1980s there was an
exponential increase in child protection investigations in America,
Britain and other developed countries due to mandatory reporting laws
and increased public awareness of child abuse. In a small number of
investigations, children disclosed alleged organised and ritualistic
forms of sexual abuse by parents and caregivers,[28][29] claims also
made by adults in psychotherapy.[30][31] These disclosures included
descriptions of sexual abuse in the context of Satanic cults, rituals
and the use of Satanic iconography, garnering the label "satanic
ritual abuse" in the media and some professionals. Clinicians,
psychotherapists and social workers have documented clients who
describe a history of SRA[13][32] though the claims of therapists are
often unsubstantiated beyond the testimonies of their clients.[10][33]

The first claim known to link Satanism with ritualistic child abuse
was made in the "survivor" story, Michelle Remembers, published in
1980, written by Michelle Smith and her psychiatrist (and later
husband) Lawrence Pazder.[34] The book, along with other survivor
stories, are suspected to have influenced later allegations of SRA and
the book was used by prosecutors and police while preparing cases of
day care sexual abuse. Smith and other survivors also met with parents
involved in the McMartin preschool trial and it is believed that Smith
influenced testimony against the accused.[35] Investigations of the
events discussed in the book revealed inconsistencies and
contradictory facts which challenge the book's accuracy.[36] Skeptics
have argued that Michelle Remembers is largely responsible for the
"epidemic" of SRA allegations,[37][38] though sociologists[39][40]
have noted similarities between SRA and stories of blood libel
throughout history. For David Frankfurter, the SRA panic repeated many
of the ancient features of conspiracy theory panics.[41] Some
researchers have stated that saying there is no evidence of an
international Satanic conspiracy misstates the facts, that many people
allege they have seen the components of a conspiracy and these
eyewitness reports do form evidence. However, the veracity of this
evidence needs to be examined further[8] and it is possible that
intergenerational satanists do exist and they justify their actions
through a religious, satanic framework.[7]

Evidence for the existence of SRA generally takes the form of
testimony by individuals making allegations.[20][42] Therapists cite
the pain expressed and the internal consistency of their patients'
stories, as well as the similarity of allegations by different
patients in geographically separate areas as evidence for the reality
of the stories; despite this, the disclosures of patients have never
resulted in the discovery of body parts or missing persons that would
corroborate the allegations.[43] In one analysis of 36 court cases
involving ritual sex abuse of children, only one quarter resulted in
convictions and the convictions had little to do with ritual sex abuse.
[44] In a 1994 survey of more than 11,000 psychiatric and police
workers throughout the US, conducted for the National Center on Child
Abuse and Neglect, researchers investigated approximately 12,000
accusations of group cult sexual abuse based on satanic ritual. The
survey found no substantiated reports of well-organized satanic rings
of people who sexually abuse children, but they did find isolated
incidents involving individuals or couples who used claims of satanism
to intimidate victims.[22] A sample of 29 patients in a medical clinic
reporting SRA found no corroboration of the claims in medical records
or in discussion with family members.[45] Media coverage of SRA began
to turn negative by 1987, and the last of the "panic " is said to have
ended between 1992 and 1995.[2]

Research
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Research in Australia and Britain suggests that between a third and a
quarter of psychotherapists, social workers and counselors have
encountered at least one client who discloses allegations of
ritualistic abuse.[46][47][48] These findings are supported by a
comprehensive survey undertaken in America in 1996 in which a minority
of psychologist members of the American Psychological Association who
responded had encountered at least one client telling of "ritualistic
or religion-related" abuse, and the majority believed their clients.
[49] Over 12 000 cases of clients with a history of organised and
ritualistic abuse were reported by respondents; however, where the
survey asked respondents to detail empirical or corroborating evidence
for such histories, the researchers felt that there was insufficient
basis to conclude that these histories were based on factual events.
[49]

A British study found that of 29% of the 211 cases of organised child
sexual abuse reported to researchers by police, social and welfare
agencies from the period of 1988 to 1991 were designated "ritual
abuse" cases by respondents.[50] Another British survey in 1994 found
an average of 21 out of 242 abuse cases investigated per year in
England and Wales involved involved ritual or satanic abuse. In the
ritual abuse cases the rituals were found to be secondary to the
sexual abuse. In cases involving satanic abuse, the satanic
allegations by younger children were influenced by adults, and the
concerns over the satanic aspects were found to be compelling due to
cultural attraction of the concept, but distracting from the actual
harm caused to the abuse victims.[51]

In a 1995 report by the Department of Justice in Canada, ritual abuse
is described as "severe physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual
abuse used systematically with symbols, ceremonies and/or group
activities that have a religious, magical or supernatural
connotation." The report indicates that victims of ritual abuse are
often afraid to report the incidents, and that often their reports are
not believed.[14]

An estimated 93% of therapists working with alleged ritual abuse
survivors in the early and mid 1990's believed that ritual abuse
occurs,[8] though a survey in the United States found that of 2709
practicing clinical psychologists, 1908 had no patients reporting SRA,
785 found one to two cases, and sixteen had treated more than one
hundred patients reporting SRA, suggesting that a minority of
therapists may be "highly predisposed" to see a disturbed clients as
suffering from SRA.[52]

Some psychologists have described substantiated cases of day care
sexual abuse which involved ritualistic abuse.[8][53][9] Some of this
research has, in turn, been criticized for an overly liberal
definition of what constitutes a "substantiated" case of ritual abuse.
[54] In day-care settings, a satanic overtone was often associated
with ritual abuse, and ritual abuse coupled with sexual abuse was
found to be the most devastating.[53] These effects were found not to
be temporary and multiple perpetrator abuse was found to be worse.[53]
The failure of center staff to report suspicion of abuse by parents of
staff was mentioned as a worry by several researchers.[53]

Skepticism
There is a diverse body of skeptical literature on SRA. Sociologists
and journalists noted the vigorous nature with which some evangelical
activists and groups were using claims of SRA to further their
religious and political goals.[6] Other commentators suggested that
the entire phenomenon may be evidence of a "moral panic" over Satanism
and child abuse.[55] Skeptical explanations for allegations of SRA
have included an attempt by "radical feminists" to undermine the
nuclear family,[56] a backlash against working women,[3] homophobic
attacks on gay childcare workers,[57] a universal need to believe in
evil,[41] fear of alternative spiritualities[58] "end of the
millennium" anxieties,[59] or a transient form of temporal lobe
epilepsy.[60]

Skeptics have treated allegations of SRA as "viral agents" or rashes
spread through conferences, seminars, books, television programs and
court cases, and professionals who believe in SRA.[61] Cases of SRA
have been described as “psychogenic syndromes" or "hysterical
epidemics",[59] infectious “memetic” agents,[62] symptoms of a
“mediasomatic ailment”,[63] or simply the “madness in the air”.[64] In
2006 David Frankfurter, professor of religious studies and history at
the University of New Hampshire published an academic study on SRA. He
concludes that "No forensic evidence" on SRA "has ever been found".
[65] A 1994 review of Victor Jeffery's book, Satanic Panic: Creation
of a Contemporary Legend --written at the time when SRA was considered
by Jeffery to be a moral panic-- notes that "A 'scare' or 'panic'
exists when the magnitude of the concern and agitation is
disproportionate relative to the magnitude of the actual threat.
Debunking constructionists need to be more explicit on this score,
else rare verified instances of 'Satanic crimes' may appear to
invalidate their analysis. Satanic 'atrocities' probably exist from
time to time." [66] Specific parts of satanic abuse records may appear
to have scriptural etymologies and could easily have been conceived by
those that wanted to defame or reverse Judeo-Christian religions.[7]

Kenneth Lanning, an expert in the investigation of child sexual abuse,
[67] has stated that pseudo-satanism may exist but there is no proof
for vast conspiracies and human sacrifices. Reported cases of SRA
involve bizarre activities, some of which are impossible, that makes
the credibility of victims of child sexual abuse questionable. In
cases where SRA is alleged to occur, Lanning describes common dynamics
of the use of fear to control multiple young victims, the presence of
multiple perpetrators and strange or ritualized behaviors, though
allegations of crimes such as human sacrifice and cannibalism do not
seem to be true. Lanning also suggests several reasons why adult
victims may make allegations of SRA, including "pathological
distortion, traumatic memory, normal childhood fears and fantasies,
misperception, and confusion".[21]

Court cases
Main article: List of satanic ritual abuse allegations
Elements of Satanist ritual have featured in some ritual abuse
allegations of child abuse and such allegations have appeared
throughout the world. The failure of many high-profile cases generated
worldwide media attention, and came to play a central feature in the
growing controversies over child abuse, memory and the law.[23]

During the early 1980s, some courts attempted ad hoc accommodations to
address the anxieties of child witnesses in relation to testifying
before defendants. Screens or CCTV technology are a common feature of
child sexual assault trials today; children in the early 1980s were
typically forced into direct visual contact with the accused abuser
while in court. SRA allegations in the courts catalyzed a broad agenda
of research into the nature of children's testimony and the
reliability of their oral evidence in court. The findings of this
research are somewhat ambiguous, suggesting that neither children nor
adults are immune to suggestive interviewing techniques but even
extremely suggestive techniques do not inevitably lead to false
reports.[68]

Dissociative identity disorder
SRA has been linked to dissociative identity disorder[69][70] (DID,
formerly known as multiple personality disorder). There are many MPD
patients reporting memories of different forms of ritual abuse. These
are alleged and most are undocumented. Opinions on the veracity of
reports of SRA vary greatly. The first person to publish a "survivor
story" about SRA was Michelle Smith, co-author of Michelle Remembers;
Smith was diagnosed by her therapist and later husband Lawrence Pazder
with DID.[71] Many women claiming to be SRA survivors have been
diagnosed as sufferers of DID, and it is unclear if their claims of
childhood abuse are accurate or a manifestation of their diagnosis.
[72] Claims of SRA by DID patients have been called "...often nothing
more than fantastic pseudomemories implanted or reinforced in
psychotherapy"[73] and SRA is a cultural script of the perception of
DID.[74] A sampling of 29 patients who presented with SRA, 22 were
diagnosed with dissociative disorders including DID. The authors noted
that 58% of the SRA claims appeared in the years following the Geraldo
Rivera special on SRA and a further 34% following a workshop on SRA
presented in the area; in only two patients were the memories elicited
without the use of "questionable therapeutic practices for memory
retrieval."[45] Skeptics claimed that the increase in DID diagnosis on
the 1980s and 1990s and its association with memories of SRA is
evidence of malpractice by treating professionals.[75] The reliability
of memories of SRA elucidated by clients in treatment for DID has been
a point of contention in the popular media and with clinicians, some
of whom express ambivalence over the reliability of narratives of SRA
patients. Most acknowledge that such a narrative is indicative of
serious victimisation and trauma.[76][improper synthesis?]

Much of the body of literature on the treatment of ritually abused
patients focuses on dissociative disorders.[77][78]

See also
File 18
Pace memorandum
List of satanic ritual abuse allegations
Ritualized child abuse
Day care sex abuse hysteria
False allegation of child sexual abuse

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abuse: An Australian Study". Journal of Child Sexual Abuse 8 (3): 45 -
63.
^ Fraser, George C. (1997). The Dilemma of Ritual Abuse: Cautions and
Guides for Therapists. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.
ISBN 0-88048-478-0.
^ Ross, Colin A. (1995). Satanic Ritual Abuse: Principles of
Treatment. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-2857-8.

External links
FBI agent K. Lanning's Investigator's Guide to Allegations of Ritual
Child AbusePDF (408 KB) (archive copy)
Ritual Abuse Bibliography - Articles from periodicals and journals

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanic_ritual_abuse"

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available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See
Copyrights for details.)
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Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity.
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rpautrey2 · Guest

Ritualized child abuse
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ritualized child abuse is a form of ritual aggression meant to
disable, sexually abuse, bind or kill children or adolescents.

Ancient world
Main article:
Child sacrifice in pre-Columbian cultures
Archaeology has uncovered physical evidence of child sacrifice, the
ritualistic killing of children in order to please supernatural
beings, at several locations.[1] Some of the best attested examples
are the diverse rites which were part of the religious practices in
Mesoamerica and the Inca Empire.[2][3][4] Alice Miller, Lloyd deMause,
psychologist Robert Godwin and other advocates of children's rights
have written about pre-Columbian sacrifice within the framework of
child abuse.[5][6][7]

Plutarch (ca. 46–120 AD) mentions the practice of the Carthaginian
ritual burning of small children, as do Tertullian, Orosius, Diodorus
Siculus and Philo. Livy and Polybius do not. The Hebrew Bible also
mentions what appears to be child sacrifice practiced at a place
called the Tophet ("roasting place") by the Caananites, and by some
Israelites.[8]

Throwing children to the sharks was performed in ancient Hawaii.[9]

Other ritual actions
Sacrificial victims were often infants. "The slaughtering of newborn
babies may be considered a common event in many cultures" including
"the Eskimos, the Polynesians, the Egyptians, the Chinese, the
Scandinavians, the Africans, the American Indians" and up to recent
times "the Australian aboriginals".[10]

Artificial deformation of the skull predate written history and date
back to Neanderthal times. It usually began just after birth for the
next couple of years until the desired shape has been reached. It may
have played a key role in Egyptian and Mayan societies.[11]

In China some boys were castrated. Both penis and scrotum were cut.
[12] Other ritual actions have been described by anthropologists. Géza
Róheim wrote about initiation rituals performed by Australian natives
in which adolescent initiates were forced to drink blood.[13] Ritual
rapes, in which young virgins are raped, have been part of shamanistic
practices.[14]

Persistence of the practices
In some tribes rituals of Papua New Guinea, an elder "picks out a
sharp stick of cane and sticks it deep inside the boy's nostrils until
he bleeds profusely into the stream of a pool, an act greeted by loud
war cries."[15] Afterwards, when boys are initiated into puberty and
manhood, they are expected to perform fellatio to the elders. "Not all
initiates will participate in this ceremonial homosexual activity, but
in about five days later several will have to perform fellatio several
times."[15]

Ritualistic abuse may also involve children accused, and beaten, for
being purported witches in some Central African areas, for example a
young niece may be blamed for the illness of a relative.[16] Female
genital cutting has also been practiced in ritualized contexts in Sub-
Saharan Africa; in some regions of the Middle East, and in Southeast
Asia.

Psychological explanations
Main article: Psychohistorical views on infanticide
A minority of academics subscribe to a school of thought named
psychohistory. They attribute the abusive rituals to the
psychopathological projection of the perpetrators, especially of the
parents.[5][6]

This "psychohistorical" model makes several claims: that childrearing
in tribal societies included child sacrifice or high infanticide
rates, incest, body mutilation, child rape and tortures, and that such
activities were culturally acceptable.[17][18]

[See also
Infanticide
Satanic ritual abuse

References
^ Milner, Larry S. (2000). Hardness of Heart / Hardness of Life: The
Stain of Human Infanticide. University Press of America.
^ Reinhard, Johan; Maria Stenzel (November 1999). "A 6,700 metros
niños incas sacrificados quedaron congelados en el tiempo". National
Geographic: 36–55.
^ Discovery Channel The mystery of Inca child sacrifice
^ de Sahagún, Bernardino (1950-1982). Florentine Codex: History of the
Things of New Spain, 12 books and 2 introductory volumes. Utah:
University of Utah Press, translated and edited by Arthur J.O.
Anderson and Charles Dibble.
^ a b deMause, Lloyd (2002). The Emotional Life of Nations. NY,
London: Karnak.
^ a b Godwin, Robert W. (2004). One cosmos under God. Minnesota:
Paragon House.
^ Miller, Alice (1991). Breaking down the walls of silence. NY: Dutton/
Penguin Books, 91.
^ Brown, Shelby (1991). Late Carthaginian Child Sacrifice and
Sacrificial Monuments in their Mediterranean Context. Sheffield:
Sheffield Academic Press.
^ Davies, Nigel (1981). Human Sacrifice in History and Today. NY:
William Morrow & Co., 192.
^ Grotstein, James S. (2000). Who is the dreamer who dreams the
dream?. NJ: The Analytic Press, Relational Perspectives Book Series
Volume 19 edition, 247, 242.
^ Rousselle, Aline (1983). Porneia: On Desire and the Body in
Antiquity. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 54.
^ Tompkins, Peter (1963). The Eunuch and the Virgin: A Study of
Curious Customs. NY: Bramhall House, 12.
^ Róheim, Géza (1950). Psychoanalysis and Anthropology. NY:
International Universities Press, 76.
^ Nevill, Drury (1989). The Elements of Shamanism. Longmead: Element,
20.
^ a b Herdt, Gilbert (2005). The Sambia: Ritual, Sexuality, and Change
in Papua New Guinea (Case Studies in Cultural Anthropology). Longmead:
Wadsworth Publishing; 2 edition.
^ Reforma (19 November 2007). "Vejan en África a 'niños brujos'".
Press release.
^ deMause, Lloyd (January 1982). Foundations of Psychohistory.
Creative Roots Publishing, 132-146. ISBN 094050801X.
^ Rascovsky, A. (1995). Filicide: The Murder, Humiliation, Mutilation,
Denigration and Abandonment of Children by Parents. NJ: Aronson,
107.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritualized_child_abuse"

Categories: Child abuse | Murdered children | Rituals | Criminology |
Sociology

This page was last modified on 27 May 2008, at 02:05. All text is
available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See
Copyrights for details.)
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation,
Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity.

rpautrey2 · Guest

APSAC FACT SHEET: RITUAL ABUSE

"Ritual abuse" is one of the most-talked-about, rarest, and least-
understood forms of alleged child maltreatment.

Expertsdisagree about whether or not "ritual abuse" exists, the range
of situations to include in the category, and the extent and sig-
nificance of these situations. Some argue that the term "ritual abuse"
should be abandoned because it confuses more than itclarifies. Many
more questions than answers exist about this highly controversial
topic,

WHAT IS "RITUAL ABUSE"?
Most allegations of what comes to be called "ritual abuse" involve one
or more of the following elements: terrorizing acts(e.g., threats to
kill parents, pets, or loved ones if the abuse is disclosed); acts
involving supernatural symbolism or ritual(e.g., the use of masks or
robes, the use of crosses or pentagrams); acts involving real or
simulated killing of animals andsometimes human infants (these acts
can serve both ritual and terrorizing ends); acts involving real or
simulated ingesticnof urine, feces, blood, and "magic potions" which
might include mind-altering substances; severe sexual abuse,
oftenincluding penetration with objects.Experts have proposed that
allegations often classified us "ritual abuse" might reflect three
very different situations(FmkeUior & Williams, 1988):

Cult-based ritual abuse. The hallmark of this type of abuse is an
elaborated spiritual belief system not sanctioned by anyof the major
organized religions. Abuse of children is probably not the ultimate
goal, but the vehicle for inducing in adults aquasi-religious state
and for creating and maintaining a particular spiritual or social
system. The belief system may or maynot be "satanic."

Pseudoritualistic abuse. The primary goal is the abuse of children.
Masks, costumes, visits to graveyards, threats of harmto the children
and their families, and the killing of animals may be ways to
intimidate children into participating, to pro-hibit their disclosure
of the abuse, and to discredit their accounts if they do tell.

Psychopathological ritualism. Ritualistic acts are part of the
obsessive or delusional system of a mentally disturbed individual,
rather than the reflection of a developed ideology.Such allegations
might also be false, the result of fantasy or delusion on the part of
the alleged victim (sometimes fed by books or television), or of
misinterpretation or suggestion by interveners, including parents,
police officers, therapists, andothers.

WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE FOR "RITUAL ABUSE"?
Supervisory Special Agent Kenneth Lanning, MS, of the FBI, with
extensive experience consulting on multi-victim, multi-perpetrator
child sexual abuse cases, concluded that there is no evidence for a
widespread satanic conspiracy perpetratingcult-based ritual abuse
(Lanning, 1992). Other reputable nationwide studies support this
conclusion (Bottoms, Shaver, &Goodman, in press)Because professionals
disagree about what constitutes "ritual abuse," and no mechanisms are
in place at the local, state, ornational levels to track reports of
ritual abuse or to investigate the validity of ritual elements in
abuse reports, no reliabledata are available about its prevalence. A
recent nationwide study has concluded that many allegations of abuse
nowreferred to as "ritualistic" have nothing to do with supernatural
beliefs, satanists, or organized cults (Bottoms, Shaver, &Goodman, in
press).In one national research study of sexual abuse in day care
(Finkelhor & Williams, 1988), one or more ritual elements were alleged
in 13% of cases. The researchers could not determine whether these
allegations were true or false, or whether theymight pertain to cult-
based ritual abuse, pseudoritualistic abuse, or psychopathological
ritualism.

Much more evidence exists for religion-related abuse (i.e., abuse
driven by beliefs associated with non-sataoic religions orperpetrated
by someone with religious authority) than for ritual abuse (Bottoms,
Shaver, Goodman, & Qin, in press).Religion-related abuse includes such
acts as "beating the devil out of a child/' abusive "exorcism," and
"deliverance" cere-monies, sexual abuse by clergy, and religiously
motivated medical neglect.WHO IS

ALLEGED TO PERPETRATE "RITUAL ABUSE"?
Sexual abuse in which ritual elements are alleged is typically
perpetrated by two or more people acting in concert. Whereasmost
surveys indicate that males are responsible for more than 95 percent
of sexual abuse perpetrated against individualchildren, females
comprise 40 percent to 55 percent of alleged perpetrators acting in
concert (Finkelhor & Williams, 1988;Faller, 1994).

WHAT DO CHILD ABUSE PROFESSIONALS BELIEVE ABOUT RITUAL ABUSE?
Professionals are divided over whether or not "ritual abuse" occurs.
Much of the controversy in the professional communitywould likely
disappear with the introduction of a coherent, widely accepted
definition of "ritual abuse."No reliable data are available on the
prevalence of different beliefs about "ritual abuse" among
professionals. However, in anationwide study of thousands of
interdisciplinary professionals, 31 percent of mental health
professionals reported havingencountered one or more allegations of
child abuse that included ritual elements, as defined by the
researchers. A very smallgroup of clinicians (1.4 percent), each
claiming to have treated scores of cases, accounted for most of the
reports of ritualis-tic child abuse (Bottoms, Shaver, & Goodman, in
press).A very high percentage of professionals who encountered reports
of ritual abuse from patients believed those- reports, basedlargely on
patients' strong affect and apparently abuse-related behavioral
symptoms, even though other corroborative evi-dence was often lacking
(Bottoms, Shaver, & Goodman, in press).

WHAT IS THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM RESPONSE TO ALLEGED 'RITUAL
ABUSE"?
Some studies have found that allegations of sexual abuse involving
ritual elements are prosecuted at a lower rate than alle-gations
without such elements (Finkelhor & Williams, 1989), Others have found
no significant difference in the rate atwhich these allegations are
prosecuted (Faller, 1994), Ritualistic elements that lack
corroboration can discredit otherwiseverifiable accounts of abuse, and
are often downplayed by prosecutors (Faller, 1994).True accounts of
abuse can include false elements that reflect fantasy on the part of
victims, misinterpretation or suggestionby interveners, or deception
by perpetrators. One of the most difficult challenges for child abuse
professionals today isestablishing criteria for distinguishing between
true and false elements in accounts of abuse.

SOURCES

Boitorns, BL., Shaver, P.R., Goodman. G.S., & Qin, J (in press). In
the name of God; A profile of religion-related childabuse. Journal of
Social Issues

Bottoms, BJL, Shaver, P.R., & Goodman, G.S. (in press). An analysis of
ritualistic and religion-related child abuse allega-tions. Law and
Human Behavior.

Faller, K.C. (1994). Ritual abuse; A review of the research. The
APSACAdvisor, 7, 1, 1, 19-27.

Finkelhor, D. & Williams, L.M. (1988). Nursery crimes: Sexual abuse in
day care. Ncwbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.Lanning, K.V. (1992).

Investigator's guide to allegations of "ritual" child abuse, Quantico,
VA: Federal Bureau ofInvestigation, National Center for the Analysis
of Violent Crime.APSAC.4O7 SOOTH DEASBORN, SUITE 1300CHICAOO, U-
80606PM: 312.554-01 66F: 31 2,554.0919E-MAIL: APSACPUBS9AOL.COM

URL:
http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:Mw8yclM5KEAJ:www.reidwriting.com/images/PDF7.pdf+psychopathological+ritualism&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us