Disclosure and Secrecy

"Disclosure" is an intriguing term often used in a generalized way. Typically, when people speak of disclosure, they mean talking about abuse; however, this word signifies much more. Disclosure is not merely an exchange of information between two people; it is closely tied to secrecy—it can only pertain to something hidden. Even if a child has already told someone about an instance of abuse, there are likely additional details they have not yet shared.

The word "secret" holds significant meaning for understanding the child’s perspective and how to offer help. Often, children prefer silence and choose to keep incidents a secret. To them, this feels like a safer and more stable approach than disclosing a "horrible secret." For children, disclosure and involving others are associated with unforeseen and frightening consequences. When it comes to abuse, children have various reasons for keeping it hidden: they feel shame, guilt, fear disbelief, and believe that any intervention might worsen the situation.
Adults should always keep in mind a simple yet far-reaching equation concerning secrets and intervention effectiveness: Knowledge/Information = Power!

Knowledge is the power to act and the power to create change. Those with knowledge can use it as needed; those unaware of the facts are powerless to intervene or effect change. Children think similarly: “If someone knows about this, they’ll definitely intervene, the situation will change, and I don’t know what dangers or complications that will bring.” This makes it difficult for a child to "let go" of the secret of abuse.

Adults should not expect that a child will enthusiastically and of their own accord tell them about the abuse they’ve suffered. If a child does not want to talk about the abuse, adults should respect their position. When working with children who have experienced abuse, we can become so focused on identifying the abuse that we overlook the child’s feelings and condition.

In most cases, disclosure does not happen immediately or all at once upon the first meeting with a child. Rather, it’s a process—a journey over time—closely tied to stress-induced psychological trauma, a range of psychological, emotional, and physical factors, and the nature of the relationship between the child and the person to whom they are disclosing.

It’s possible that before reaching you, the child may have been questioned in a way that reinforced their decision to remain silent and keep the secret. In such cases, it will be much harder for the child to share the secret with you. Therefore, it’s beneficial for any interviewer to know if the child has already spoken to others about the abuse.

Over the past 40 years, numerous studies have explored how children disclose abuse. Many studies contradict each other, but one thing is clear: there are often significant obstacles to disclosure, and revealing abuse can be a very prolonged process. Adults often struggle to understand why a child does not immediately report the abuse and instead chooses to keep a painful secret, especially when it concerns their own or their loved ones' wellbeing.

Secrecy and Credibility

Professionals face a complex task when trying to establish the truth about child sexual abuse. This goal is complicated by the sensitive nature of the topic, public outrage, and intense emotions.

In some cases, disclosure of sexual abuse occurs many years later, sometimes even after the perpetrator has died. One such case involved Jimmy Savile, a well-known BBC children’s program host, whose abuse was only disclosed by survivors decades after his death in 2011. His victims included vulnerable children in shelters, juvenile detention centers, church schools, and poor hospital patients. The administration of these institutions often dismissed the children’s accounts as lies or fabrications. When complaints about Savile reached the police, they rarely led to investigations, as Savile was considered a respected figure in Britain, known for his charity work and knighted for his contributions.

The public found this information hard to believe, with many doubting the victims and accusing them of extortion: "Why didn't they speak up sooner?" "Why now, after Savile's death?" "They just want money and are defaming Savile’s name."
However, as more people gained the courage to come forward, public opinion shifted dramatically, with some even accusing those who might have known about Savile's actions of remaining silent. Such logic, however, should not apply to cases of child sexual abuse.

What the Research Says

In 1983, American psychiatrist Roland Summit identified and studied the Child Sexual Abuse Accommodation Syndrome (CSAAS). This model helps professionals understand the challenges children face in disclosing sexual abuse within the family. The model includes five components:
1. Secrecy
2. Helplessness
3. Entrapment
4. Inconsistent Disclosure
5. Retraction

Children are often afraid to disclose sexual abuse and keep it secret out of fear. Summit concluded that children living in such conditions felt terrible. To survive physically, emotionally, and psychologically, children, who often had nowhere to escape, had to adapt to their environment by any means necessary (often through alcohol, drugs, violent behavior, or social withdrawal). Over time, children might gather enough courage to disclose the abuse, but their accounts were often inconsistent and unconvincing. After receiving typically unhelpful reactions from adults, children often retracted their statements. At this point, many professionals would abandon further investigation.

These conclusions were further supported by Sorenson Snow's work in 1991, particularly regarding inconsistent disclosure. According to this study, family-based sexual abuse disclosures often seemed accidental.

In recent years, these two works have been the subject of debate. It’s important to remember that the CSAAS is not a diagnostic tool but an important supplementary factor that sometimes (but not always) reflects the behavior of children who are victims of chronic sexual abuse.

Later studies, such as those by London and others (2005), called some of Summit's conclusions into question. In 1992, Summit himself acknowledged that the Child Sexual Abuse Accommodation Syndrome was a hypothesis based on statistics, not a scientific tool.

One widely accepted fact is that children often prefer to keep sexual abuse a secret. Many studies have been conducted on adults who were sexually abused as children. Here are some statistics: 60-70% preferred to keep the abuse secret, with an average time of 15 years before disclosing it. Furthermore, only 10-18% of cases were reported to law enforcement.

Interviewers are most interested in whether children will deny or confirm abuse if directly questioned. Studies show that this rarely happens.

Children who are already willing to talk about the abuse are more likely to do so in interviews as well. Notably, the support of a non-abusive parent greatly influences the child’s confidence and honesty.

The approach that interviewers, law enforcement, and other professionals should take is not to assume any outcome as fact but to listen attentively to the child and thoroughly examine the information they provide.

Conclusion - What Should Interviewers Do?

Should interviewers believe everything blindly? Lack of trust can greatly harm the child, but blind belief is not helpful either. Abusers often create circumstances that make the child’s story appear unbelievable. Interviewers should strive to maintain objectivity without betraying the child’s trust.

Poorly conducted interviews, where objectivity is lacking, exacerbate "systemic abuse" against the child. It is crucial that interviewers understand the unique nature of child abuse, fully utilize skills developed over years, and maintain sensitivity in their approach.