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	State Releases Report on Sexual Abuse Cases KTRV - FOX12 January 24, 2008 http://www.fox12news.com/Global/story.asp?S=7765350 [Includes video with more information. The Idaho report is available at the Idaho AG's website for 2007 (the report just released) and earlier years. The 2007 report is a 5.7M PDF. It does not mention abuse by priests but provides useful information about sexual abuse generally.] Boise, Idaho — Duncan's high profile case is just one of many more cases involving child sexual abuse in the last few years. Idaho's attorney general has released its annual report on these cases. The numbers are slightly lower in this 19th report over the previous year. These cases are only those in which criminal charges were filed. Valuable information for many agencies to help protect Idaho's children. Researchers for the attorney general and the governor produced the annual report on the prosecution of child sexual abuse. They presented their findings to the senate judiciary and rules committee. The study shows between July 20-06 and June 20-07 there were 430 prosecuted cases in the state. Down from 469....the previous year. "Of those there were 298 of the 430 cases were an adult abusing a child", said Idaho Deputy Attorney General Bill von Tagen. Forty-four percent of the victims were between 12 and 15 years old. They also found disturbing news among younger children. "In the remainder of those cases, not only the victim a child, but the predator was also a child", said von Tagen. And 94-percent of the sexual abuse victims knew the predator, which experts say is very common because it can be a priest, a teacher, a coach or even a neighbor. Only one adult defendant in this research was a stranger to the victim. The attorney general's office and Syringa House Therapist Darci Jones Bennett agree, parents should really know who their kids are spending time with. "It needs to be ok for a child to say no when someone is wanting to approach them to give them a hug, sit on their lap, the child needs to be able to say no", said Syringa House Therapist Darci Jones Bennett. "Most of the time what takes place is that relationship between the child and the abuser, child versus juvenile offender is being exploited", said von Tagen. Devastating to a child. It could affect their scholastics and social behaviors. "It can interfere with their development, not that it can't at a younger child, development in school, development in many ways", said Bennett. Bennett says it's extremely important to trust their children. "More typical that a child is telling the truth than not", said Bennett. Compelling data authorities hope to minimize future cases. "In forming policy on how to react, how to treat, how we punish sex offenders", said von Tagen. The attorney general's office says there are many more child sexual abuse cases that go unreported. Experts says boys are more likely not to report abuse than girls.
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