Nationality American | Name Kee MacFarlane | |
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Full Name Kathleen MacFarlane Books Sexual Abuse of Young Children: Evaluation and Treatment | ||
Kathleen 'Kee' MacFarlane (born 1947) was the Director of Children's Institute International. She developed the concept of the anatomically correct doll for children to use during interviews concerning abuse and played a significant role in the McMartin preschool trial.
Contents
- Professional training
- Involvement in the McMartin preschool trial
- Books and book chapters
- Videos
- References
Professional training
She received a bachelor's degree in fine arts at Denison University in Ohio and later received her master's degree in social work. After graduation, MacFarlane became a lobbyist for the National Organization for Women and grant evaluator for the National Center for Child Abuse and Neglect, later becoming the Director of Children's Institute International (CII). In the time leading up to the McMartin preschool trial, MacFarlane described herself as a psychotherapist but lacked any professional licenses.
Involvement in the McMartin preschool trial
As part of her job at CII, MacFarlane interviewed 400 children for the McMartin preschool trial using anatomically correct dolls and hand puppets. MacFarlane believed that the children suffered from child sexual abuse accommodation syndrome, and would deny sexual abuse without special techniques designed to encourage disclosure. The interviewing techniques used during investigations of the allegations were highly suggestive and invited children to pretend or speculate about supposed events. By spring of 1984, it was claimed that 360 children had been abused. Astrid Heppenstall Heger performed medical examinations and took photos of what she believed to be minute scarring which she stated was caused by anal penetration. Critics have alleged that the questioners asked the children leading questions, repetitively, which, it is said, always yields positive responses from young children, making it impossible to know what the child actually experienced. Others believe that the questioning itself may have led to false memory syndrome among the children who were questioned. Ultimately only 41 of the original 360 children testified during the grand jury and pre-trial hearings, and fewer than a dozen testified during the actual trial.
MacFarlane went on to testify in front of the United States Congress that she believed there was an organized, nationwide conspiracy of individuals and "orthodox satanic groups" sexually abusing children, although she never presented evidence of who any of the individuals are nor proof of any orthodox satanic groups.