Women Who Sexually Abuse Children (Wiley Child Protection & Policy Series)

204 Pages·2006·0.88 MB·English

by  Hannah Ford

WOMEN WHO SEXUALLY ABUSE
CHILDREN
THE NSPCC/WILEY SERIES
in
PROTECTING CHILDREN
Themulti-professionalapproach
SeriesEditors: ChristopherCloke,
NSPCC,42CurtainRoad,
LondonEC2A3NX
JanHorwath,
DepartmentofSociologicalStudies,
UniversityofSheffield,
SheffieldS102TU
PeterSidebotham,
WarwickMedicalSchool,
UniversityofWarwick,
CoventryCV47AL
ThisNSPCC/Wileyseriesexplorescurrentissuesrelatingtotheprevention
ofchildabuseandtheprotectionofchildren.Theseriesaimstopublishtitles
that focus on professional practice and policy, and the practical application
of research. The books are leading edge and innovative and reflect a multi-
disciplinaryandinter-agencyapproachtothepreventionofchildabuseand
theprotectionofchildren.
Allbookshaveapolicyorpracticeorientationwithreferencedinformation
fromtheoryandresearch.Theseriesisessentialreadingforallprofessionals
andresearchersconcernedwiththepreventionofchildabuseandtheprotec-
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WOMEN WHO
SEXUALLY ABUSE
CHILDREN
Hannah Ford
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Ford,Hannah.
Womenwhosexuallyabusechildren/HannahFord.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN-13:978-0-470-01573-5(cloth:alk.paper)
ISBN-10:0-470-01573-X(cloth:alk.paper)
ISBN-13:978-0-470-01574-2(pbk.:alk.paper)
ISBN-10:0-470-01574-8(pbk.:alk.paper)
1.Womenchildmolesters. 2.Childsexualabuse. I.Title.
HV6570.F672006
362.76′2—dc22 2006012746
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CONTENTS
Foreword ................................................. ix
Acknowledgements .......................................... xii
Introduction .............................................. 1
PartI: TheNatureandPrevalenceofSexualAbuseby
WomenandOurUnderstandingofit
1 ThePrevalenceofSexualAbusebyWomen ................. 7
2 HowisSexualAbusebyWomenConceptualised
andUnderstood? ....................................... 17
3 TheNatureofChildSexualAbuseCommitted
byWomen ............................................ 25
PartII: ContextualisingSexualAbusebyWomen
4 PotentiallyRelevantFactorsinSexualAbusebyWomen ...... 37
5 MaleCoercionofFemalesintoSexually
AbusiveBehaviour ..................................... 47
6 WhatMightMotivateWomentoSexually
AbuseChildren? ....................................... 57
PartIII: TheConsequencesofSexualAbusebyWomen
7 IsSexualAbusebyWomenHarmful? ...................... 69
viii CONTENTS
PartIV: FurtheringOurUnderstandingandDeveloping
WorkinthisField
8 AspectsofFemaleOffendinginNeedof
FurtherResearch ...................................... 93
9 InterveningwithFemaleAbusers:TreatmentNeeds,
MethodsandOutcomes ................................ 111
PartV: WideningOurFocus
10 MotherswhoarePartnersofMaleOffenders:are
theyCollusiveandthereforeAbusive? .................... 129
11 FemaleAdolescentsandChildrenwho
SexuallyAbuse ........................................ 149
ConcludingThoughts ...................................... 167
References ................................................. 171
Index .................................................... 189
FOREWORD
Culturalschemainanysocietythatenablethemajorityofitscitizenstofeel
psychologicallycomfortableareoftenmaintainedbyaprocessofsharedmin-
imisationanddenial.Thisisthemeansbywhichthelongheld“secret”ofthe
sexualabuseofchildrenbywomenhasbeenignored.Shouldthis“secret”be
exploredandfullyacceptedthentheseemingsocialsecurityofhavingwomen
as “sexually safe” primary carers and protectors of our children would be
irretrievably damaged. Therefore, despite at least a century of knowledge
pointing to a significant number of women engaging in sexually abusive
behaviourstowardschildren,itisstillaphenomenonthathasnotbeensuf-
ficientlyaccepted.
Ifsexualabusebywomenisacceptedatallitismostofteninthecontextof
thewomanbeingcoercedintothoseactsbyamanforhissexualgratification.
The woman in this situation therefore becomes another victim of the male.
Consideration is rarely given to the possibility that these women acted as
equal partners or even that they may have coerced a male into offending.
Womenwhoareconvictedofsexualabuseagainstadolescentboyscanalso
be seen as “victims” of those boys in a society where adolescent males are
seen as more sexually dominant and powerful than adult women. Those
women who have acknowledged acting as sole perpetrator of sexual abuse
againstyoungerchildrenareoftenseenas“mentallyunwell”.Whereasmen
committing the exact same offence would be prosecuted, women are most
oftenreferredtopsychiatricservices.
The failure to accept that women can be initiators of sexual abuse is per-
hapsarelicofanowarchaicviewofwomenaspassiveorweak,whichhas
beenrejectedinmanyactivitiesinsociety.Ifweacceptthatwomencantake
responsibilitytoruncorporationswhyisitthatsocietyfindsitsodifficultto
acceptnegativetraitsinwomen?
Lookingatthegenderofconvictedsexualoffendersagainstchildren,the
verylowpercentage(1%to2%)ofthesethatarefemalecouldalmostjustify
societalbeliefsandattitudes.Onepossiblecauseoftheseseeminglylowrates
isthatjudgesaregenerallyinthelaterdecadesoflifeandthereforemayreflect
attitudestowomenofdecadesearlier.