The deepest wounds are the immeasurable ones : The scars of the Amsterdam Sexual Abuse Case.

The Amsterdam Sexual Abuse Case came to light at the end of 2010, in which a male daycare worker sexually abused dozens of children at a preverbal age. Additionally, he created pornographic imagery of the abuse and disseminated it widely. This situation was unprecedented due to the magnitude of the case, the extremely young age of the children, his role as a daycare employee, the high burden of proof, the detailed information on the sexual abuse, and the existence of pornographic material. It raised questions from parents, professionals involved, society, and also from the scientific community. Despite the growing research in the area of child sexual abuse and its adverse outcomes, little is known about the consequences for young children who were subjected to sexual abuse.

The ASAC-study is set up to investigate the signs, symptoms, and short- and long-term consequences in children who had been subject to extrafamilial abuse at a preverbal age and the consequences for their non-offending parents. In this dissertation, we sought to determine the developmental trends of PTSD symptoms, dissociation, and internalizing and externalizing behavior in children, as well as PTSD symptoms in parents, until eight years after CSA. Secondly, we studied worrisome sexual behavior and attachment insecurity patterns in the long term. Finally, we conducted a qualitative study in which we examined the process and experiences of parental disclosure to their child in the aftermath of preverbal CSA.

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