eight years after abuse at ‘t Hofnarretje, still worrying sexual behavior

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NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 20:54

Eight years after the major Amsterdam sex case at daycare center ‘t Hofnarretje came to light, a quarter of the victims still showed deviant behavior. This is the conclusion of child psychologist Vionna Tsang in her dissertation, which is reported by NRC, among others. It is probably the first study into the long-term effects of sexual abuse of very young children.

The research supports the theory that abuse of young children who cannot yet speak also has a long-term influence on the child’s development. Tsang calls it a “widespread misconception” that children up to age 3 do not build memories or experience consequences of abuse that occurred before they could talk.

The Amsterdam vice case

Robert M. worked as a babysitter at the Amsterdam childcare center ‘t Hofnarretje until 2010. An article of clothing led in an American investigation into child pornography with Miffy to the daycare center in Amsterdam. In 2013, M. was sentenced to 19 years in prison and TBS for abusing 87 children and distributing child pornography. The children were on average less than one and a half years old at the start of the abuse.

The case led to the introduction of the four-eye principle. Childcare workers have to perform some tasks or actions with two or more people in order to monitor each other.

A significant proportion of children exhibit “concerning sexual behavior” years after the abuse. The researchers emphasize that every child exhibits age-related sexual behavior. That is a normal part of development. However, the research shows that in some cases children exhibit sexual behavior that does not match the age and development of the child.

Eight years of questionnaires

The researchers had the parents of 45 children complete questionnaires over a period of eight years. More than half of the parents in this study have told their child (or children) about the abuse, to a greater or lesser extent. At least a quarter of parents appear to have complaints consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Previous research showed that a third of children showed deviant behavior in the months after the abuse. The children were anxious, aggressive, had sleeping problems or showed sexual behavior that did not match the behavior of children of the same age.