A NEW WAY OF LOOKING AT CHILD ABUSE . . .

We welcome back to these pages Professor David Southall and Dr Martin Samuels. Despite a sustained campaign against their practice which has inevitably restricted important research into child abuse, we are pleased that they and Professor Golden now feel free to submit their proposals for reclassifying this issue.

They suggest moving away from classifying abuse according its effect on the victim, namely physical, sexual, emotional, or developmental. Rather we should look at the apparent motive of the perpetrators and the degree of harm. Four categories are proposed: deliberate premeditated abuse for gain or gratification, as may be conducted by a parent with a psychopathic disorder; impulsive, thoughtless, or selfish acts, resulting from adverse societal and personal pressures but without premeditation; and mild ill-treatment which is universal and may be culturally acceptable.

The authors propose that adopting this approach would rationalise the response by professionals, the courts, and society to individual episodes of abuse. Children would be better protected, families in the second category could be offered help, …