Editorial Introduction
| Published date | 01 May 2005 |
| Author | Leslie Sebba |
| DOI | 10.1177/026975800501200201 |
| Date | 01 May 2005 |
International
Review
ofVictimology,
2005,
Vol.12,
pp.117-120
0269-7580/05
$10
© A B
Academic
Publishers
-Printed
in
Great
Britain
EDITORIAL
INTRODUCTION
LESLIE
SEBBA
*
Some
of
the
most
complex
issues
arising
in
the
context of
both
victimology
and
criminal
justice
policy
are
related
to
the
domestic
context.
Much
of
what
is
legally
defmed
as
crime
occurs
in
this
context;
but
since
in
many
cases
the
conduct
is
not
perceived
and
defined
as
criminal,
and
in
other
cases
it
is
not
reported,
it
does
not
penetrate
into
the
statistical
records
of
crime
(Heidensohn,
2002:
p.
499);
nor
is
it
processed
as
such.
In
modem
times
feminists
have
struggled
to
ensure
that
their
rights
in
the
home
(e.g.,
not
to
be
assaulted,
sexually
or
otherwise)
be
recognized
not
only
by
other
family
members
but
also
by
the
law
enforcement
authorities.
In
most
western
democracies,
at
least,
formal
recognition
of
such
rights
has
been
established:
the
marital
relationship
is
no
longer
held
to
be
irrefutable
evidence
of
consent
to
assault.
In
many
respects
the
developments
described
in
the
preceding
paragraph
apply
also
to
children.
The
phenomenon
of
child
abuse
was
also
'discovered' a
few
decades
ago
-in
particular
in
the
course
of
the
research
conducted
by
Helfer
and
Kempe
(1968);
and
its
prevalence
has
continued
to
be
confrrmed
by
Murray
Straus
and
other
researchers,
as
well
as
providing
material
for
a
mainstream
research
journal (Child Abuse
and
Neglect).
However,
while
the
institutions of
child
protection
-
legal
and
social
-
are
now
well-established
(dating
from
the
late
nineteenth
or
early
twentieth
century),
children
have
not
been
granted
the
type
of
formal
equality
rights
attributed
to
women.
It
is
thus
by
no
means
established
in
most
jurisdictions
that
a
child
may
not
be
assaulted
in
the
home,
or
that
he
or
she
is
protected
by
the
criminal
law
for
this
purpose.
Thus
while
policy
discussions
relating
to
the
victimization
of
women
tend
to
focus
on
implementation
issues
(Buzawa
and
Buzawa,
1996),
in
the
context of
child
victimization
more
fundamental
questions
are
raised
such
as
those
pertaining
to
equality
rights.
The
equality
issue
is
particularly
salient
in
relation
to
the
question
of
the
legitimacy
of
the
imposition
of
physical
(or
'corporal')
punishment
on
children.
Traditionally
the
power
to
inflict
physical
punishment
was
not
only
perceived
as
an
integral
part
of
parental
control,
but
was
viewed
as
a necessary
tool
in
the
education
of
the
child-
and
thus
available,
by
extension,
to
the
child's
teachers.
The
imposition
of
restrictions
on
this
power
is
a
relatively
novel
idea,
while
its
complete
elimination
is
still
considered
unacceptable
in
most
western
democ-
racies
-
and
a fortiori
in
more
traditional
societies.
Nevertheless
the
lead
has
*
Lawrence
D.
Biele Professor of
Law
and
Criminology,
Institute of
Criminology,
Faculty of
Law,
The
Hebrew
University of
Jerusalem.
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