Challenges facing East Asian immigrant children in sexual abuse cases.

Abstract

Immigrants from East Asia make up 14.21% of the total number of immigrants in Canada. These families face many challenges as they acculturate to North America, but, sadly, some of these children may be at risk for sexual abuse. In this article, we outline the ways in which East Asian children, compared with Western nonimmigrant children, are at a particular disadvantage when considering prosecution of those who perpetrate abuse. We focus specifically on 3 areas of concern: (1) cultural differences that can shape children’s memory recall, (2) cultural differences that can impact the path of disclosure of sexual abuse, and (3) language differences that reduce the chances that perpetrators will be prosecuted for sexual abuse. The consequences for East Asian immigrant youth who allege (or are suspected) that they are victims of abuse are serious. East Asian children face an uphill battle to see justice in sexual abuse cases. Thus, a significant portion of immigrant children will not see their abusers punished, and, worse, the knowledge that prosecution is unlikely may make East Asian immigrant children vulnerable.

The influence of culture on children’s immediate and delayed retrieval

“…For instance, in child sexual abuse cases, the perpetrator was often closely related to the child victim (e.g., relatives and family friends) (Connolly, Chong, Coburn, & Lutgens, 2015). Eastern immigrant children may be hesitant to recall these negative events given that doing so would inevitably threaten family harmony (e.g., reporting a family friend/relative who involved in the alleged crime) (Roberts, Qi, & Zhang, 2016). Examining cultural differences in remembering negative social‐focused events could reveal possible barriers that may disadvantage ethnic minority children in the legal system.…”

Unsafe Sanctuary: Immigrants of Color Victims of Sexual Abuse

“…Understanding immigrants' cultural contexts is central for their recovery from sexual abuse. For example, a study in Canada revealed that East Asian young immigrants' cultural and linguistic context shaped their recall of traumatic memories, and thus, it affected the way these young immigrants disclosed sexual abuse (Roberts et al 2016). The researchers concluded that culture specific ways of recalling traumatic memories minimized the opportunities to prosecute the perpetrators.…”