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Videotaping
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| There
absolutely should be videotaping of an
interview of a child complaining of sexual abuse or rape. (The
first
person to whom the child complains is called a fresh
complaint witness.)
Unfortunately, some mental health professionals claim videotaping is tantamount to an invasion of privacy. And unfortunately, you have no control over whether videotaping takes place. The argument is specious.
If an
accusation,
whether true or false, is made, that which the child says at the
interview will be spread to literally dozens of people. That
spreading
becomes similar to the parlor game where the words told by the child to
the first person do not resemble the words spoken by the last person to
hear them. Only a tape, audio or audio/videotape, can repeat the
child's words without distortion or contamination. The guilt the child would feel later from testifying to a falsehood would surely be worse than perhaps having had his or her privacy invaded. Search for articles re the use of videotaping in sex abuse cases. Do not hesitate giving them to your attorney. Must lawyers do not have such articles in their files unless they have had a case on point. |
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