title: The admissibility of evidence in child sexual abuse cases.
abstract: Testimony in court by child victims of sexual abuse results in further trauma, frequently inconsistent or retracted accusations, and, in incest cases, exacerbation of family difficulties. A number of states have liberalized rules of evidence in such instances to spare the child; some states have enacted legislation simplifying introduction of the child's out-of-court statements, although the constitutionality of these statutes has yet to be tested.
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003416:Criminal Law; D005104:Expert Testimony / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D014481:United States