Synopses & Reviews
What is the cost of including stories about child abuse in the media? In this groundbreaking book, Fred Powell and Margaret Scanlon explore the relationship among the media, the presentation of child abuse, and shifting adult-child power relations, examining its effect on the range of laws, policies, and procedures introduced to address the explosion of interest in the issue. Analyzing twenty years of representation of child abuse in Irelandincluding abuse by the church and schoolsDark Secrets of Childhood offers significant insight into the medias influence on the issue and provides an important contribution to the international debate on child abuse as it is portrayed through the media.
Review
"A very erudite interdisciplinary analysis that will be of great value to all interested in seeking to understand and improve the lives of children in Ireland and internationally."
Synopsis
Child-abuse reports in the media make for good stories but at what cost?
This ground-breaking book explores the relationship between the media, child abuse and shifting adult-child power relations which, in Western countries, has spawned an ever-expanding range of laws, policies and procedures introduced to address the explosion of interest in the issue of child abuse.
Revelations of child sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clergy in Ireland and its cover-up by Church authorities have given rise to one of the greatest institutional scandals of modern history. Through in-depth analysis of 20 years of media representation of the issue the book draws significant insights on the medias influence and its impact on civil society.
Highly topical and of interest and relevance to lecturers and researchers in the areas of childhood studies, sociology of childhood, child protection and social work, social and public policy and human rights as well as policymakers, this book provides an important contribution to the international debate about child abuse as reflected to the public through the power of the media.
Synopsis
Over the last few decades, public opinion has been traumatised by revelations of child abuse on a mass scale. It has become the major human rights story of the 21st century in Western society. This ground-breaking book explores the relationship between the media, child abuse and shifting adult-child power relations which, in Western countries, has spawned an ever-expanding range of laws, policies and procedures introduced to address the 'explosion' of interest in the issue of child abuse. Allegations of child sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clergy in Ireland - and its 'cover-up' by Church authorities - have given rise to one of the greatest institutional scandals of modern history. Through in-depth analysis of 20 years of media representation of the issue, the book draws significant insights on the media's influence and its impact on civil society. Highly topical and of interest and relevance to lecturers and researchers in the areas of childhood studies, sociology of childhood, child protection and social work, social and public policy and human rights, as well as policymakers, this book provides an important contribution to the international debate about child abuse as reflected to the public through the power of the media.
Synopsis
This ground-breaking book explores the relationship between the media, child abuse and shifting adult "child power relations which, in Western countries, has spawned an ever-expanding range of laws, policies and procedures introduced to address the explosion' of interest in the issue of child abuse.
About the Author
Fred Powell is dean of social science and professor of social policy at the University College Cork, National University of Ireland.Margaret Scanlon is a postdoctoral researcher in the School of Applied Social Studies at the University College Cork, National University of Ireland.
Table of Contents
Introduction Part 1: The reports
The Construction of Child Abuse as a Social Problem
The Public Child
The Catholic Church, Scandal and Media
The Ryan Report and the Charity Myth
Child Abuse, Cultural Disbelief and the Patriarchal Family
Part 2: The context
Rethinking Childrens Rights
Child Culture and Risk Society
Angelmakers: the Hidden History of Child Abuse
The Cultural Politics of Child Abuse
Conclusion