The Sacred Child: The Politics of Child Abuse & Abusers in the Twenty-First Century (Children's Issues, Laws and Programs)

Relations between adults and children in western countries are currently marked by suspicions and fears. The cult of the sacred child has become a paramount consideration in making policy changes. This discussion examines the way children have become fashioned weapons in the service of various social and political causes that have become forms of social control. Art, media and politics figure prominently in this project. Can children ever be depicted in art? Can children ever have a sexual identity? It also discusses the other side of the dark divide on how children's rights are defended -- the paedophile and the politics connected with punishing offences associated with crimes against children. This book argues for a more mature appraisal of these topics, including child sexuality, as well as a more balanced legal and social treatment of those accused of sexual crimes