Women Who Sexually Abuse Children (Wiley Child Protection & Policy Series) PDF
Preview Women Who Sexually Abuse Children (Wiley Child Protection & Policy Series)
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- tionofchildren. ForothertitlesintheNSPCC/WileySeries,pleaseseewww.wiley.com/go/ nspcc WOMEN WHO SEXUALLY ABUSE CHILDREN Hannah Ford Copyright(cid:2)C 2006 TheLucyFaithfullFoundation. Published2006byJohnWiley&SonsLtd, TheAtrium,SouthernGate,Chichester, WestSussexPO198SQ,England Telephone (+44)1243779777 Email(forordersandcustomerserviceenquiries):[email protected] Visit our Home Page on www.wiley.com AllRightsReserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrieval systemortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying, recording,scanningorotherwise,exceptunderthetermsoftheCopyright,DesignsandPatents Act1988orunderthetermsofalicenceissuedbytheCopyrightLicensingAgencyLtd, 90TottenhamCourtRoad,LondonW1T4LP,UK,withoutthepermissioninwritingofthe Publisher.RequeststothePublishershouldbeaddressedtothePermissionsDepartment, JohnWiley&SonsLtd,TheAtrium,SouthernGate,Chichester,WestSussexPO198SQ, England,[email protected],orfaxedto(+44)1243770620. Designationsusedbycompaniestodistinguishtheirproductsareoftenclaimedastrademarks. Allbrandnamesandproductnamesusedinthisbookaretradenames,servicemarks, trademarksorregisteredtrademarksoftheirrespectiveowners.ThePublisherisnotassociated withanyproductorvendormentionedinthisbook. Thispublicationisdesignedtoprovideaccurateandauthoritativeinformationinregardtothe subjectmattercovered.ItissoldontheunderstandingthatthePublisherisnotengagedin renderingprofessionalservices.Ifprofessionaladviceorotherexpertassistanceisrequired,the servicesofacompetentprofessionalshouldbesought. OtherWileyEditorialOffices JohnWiley&SonsInc.,111RiverStreet,Hoboken,NJ07030,USA Jossey-Bass,989MarketStreet,SanFrancisco,CA94103-1741,USA Wiley-VCHVerlagGmbH,Boschstr.12,D-69469Weinheim,Germany JohnWiley&SonsAustraliaLtd,42McDougallStreet,Milton,Queensland4064,Australia JohnWiley&Sons(Asia)PteLtd,2ClementiLoop#02-01,JinXingDistripark,Singapore129809 JohnWiley&SonsCanadaLtd,6045FreemontBlvd,Mississauga,Ontario,CanadaL5R4J3 Wileyalsopublishesitsbooksinavarietyofelectronicformats.Somecontentthatappearsin printmaynotbeavailableinelectronicbooks. LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData 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 BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary ISBN13 978-0-470-01573-5(hbk) 978-0-470-01574-2(pbk) ISBN10 0-470-01573-X(hbk) 0-470-01574-8(pbk) Typesetin10/12ptPalatinobyTechBooks,NewDelhi,India PrintedandboundinGreatBritainbyTJInternationalLtd,Padstow,Cornwall Thisbookisprintedonacid-freepaperresponsiblymanufacturedfromsustainableforestry inwhichatleasttwotreesareplantedforeachoneusedforpaperproduction. ForMum,Dad,LindseyandAndrew 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.
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