Female Sexual Abuse of Children

by Michele Elliott (Editor)

Overview

This courageous and powerful book is a first step in addressing the secrecy, distress, anger, and fear surrounding female sexual abuse of children. Refuting the rationales for our lack of attention to the problem and contradicting some commonly held beliefs about sexual abuse, it combines accounts from survivors with input from professionals working with both survivors and abusers.

Part I presents contributions from professionals who discuss aspects of female sexual abuse ranging from impact and treatment issues for victims of childhood sexual abuse by female perpetrators to the paradox of women who sexually abuse children. The second part is devoted to survivors—it presents stories from both men and women, then provides self-help guidelines for both. The book concludes with a valuable section on resources which includes a review of the existing literature on female child molestation as well as a listing of pertinent books and help organizations.

FEMALE SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN also addresses the controversial issue of current statistics that show that female sexual abuse is very rare and the question of whether it is being underreported due to fear from survivors that they will not be believed or supported. Regardless of the true magnitude of this problem, secrecy or denial about any aspect of child abuse must be avoided. Whatever future studies may show about this problem, it will not diminish this book's importance in taking the step of exploring this issue.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780898620047
Publisher:	Guilford Publications, Inc.
Publication date:	05/02/1994
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	244
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.58(d)

About the Author

Michele Elliot is a Child Psychologist and founder and Director of the children's protection agency KIDSCAPE, in London, UK. She has chaired World Health Organization and Home Office working groups on child sexual abuse and was awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship. She has published numerous books and articles and is a leading expert in the field of child abuse prevention.

Table of Contents

PARTIAL TABLE OF CONTENTS: PROFESSIONALS
What Survivors tell Us - An Overview (M. Elliott)
Impact and Treatment Issues for Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse by Female Perpetrators (S. Sgroi & N. Sargent)
Helping Survivors Through Counselling (K. Hunter)
A Survivor's and Therapist's Viewpoint (C. Longdon)
Working with Female Sexual Abusers (J. Matthews)
Barbara's Story - A Mother who Sexually Abused (H. Eldridge)
Female Abusers - What Children and Young People have told ChildLine (H. Harrison)
The Paradox of Women who Sexually Abuse Children (O. Wolfers)
Women Abusers - A Feminist View (V. Young)
SURVIVORS
Self-Help for Survivors (V. Young)
RESOURCES
Female Child Molesters: A Review of the Literature (K. Jennings)

What People are Saying About This

Mike Lew

An important and challenging work. Michele Elliott and her colleagues guide us through denial, stereotypes, and conventional misinformation to an unflinching examination of painful realities. The theoretical, research, and clinical chapters help to forge a new understanding of the issues and set directions for further explorations. Many survivors, both male and female, will finally have their experiences validated. The powerfully moving survivors' stories will be vital tools for survivors in their healing and will aid therapists in understanding the complexitites of recovery from sexuality abuse by females.
— Mike Lew, Victims No Longer: Men Recovering From Incest and Other Sexual Child Abuse

Kee MacSarlane

The subject of female sexual abuse has been a dark, unexplored corner of our field. Like most abhorrent aspects of human behavior, it is easier and more emotional congruent to deny, ignore, or discredit that which we cannot accept or will not acknowledge. Historical reactions to the discovery (and rediscovery) of incest - from Freud to the False Memory Syndrome Foundation - are poignant tributes to the enduring strength of our collective resistance.... There is no room in this, of all fields, for secrecy or denial about any aspect of child abuse. There is no room for cowardice, political ideology, or the focus of our attention in resources on one area to the total exclusion of others. This is a bold book and a valuable resource for our time.
— From the ForeWord by Kee MacSarlane

Interviews

Will aid therapists in understanding the complexities of recovery from sexual abuse by females.

Editorial Reviews

"An important and challenging work. Michele Elliott and her colleagues guide us through denial, stereotypes, and conventional misinformation to an unflinching examination of painful realities. Theoretical, research and clinical chapters help to forge a new understanding of the issues and set directions for further exploration. Many survivors, both male and female, will finally have their experiences validated. The powerfully moving survivors' stories will be vital tools for survivors in their healing and will aid therapists in understanding the complexities of recovery from sexual abuse by females." —Mike Lew, author of Victims No Longer: Men Recovering From Incest and Other Sexual Child Abuse

"Michele Elliott has done a splendid job compiling information from a variety of sources in regard to sexual abuse by female perpetrators. This is a valuable text which provides the reader with the current state of knowledge in regard to a dimension of sexual abuse which is becoming increasingly recognized." —A. Nicholas Groth, PhD, author of Men Who Rape

From the Publisher

"Succeeds in making its main pointthat females can be sexual abusers of children and that professionals must recognize this....Recommended. "

Issues in Child Abuse Accusations

"A valuable resource that summarizes our current knowledge of the subject...The book itself is easy to read, well balanced, and provides a personal view of the contributors of the issue of female perpetrators."

Journal of Family Violence

Reviewer: Lisa A. Teegarden, MS (Rush Medical College of Rush University)
Description: The goal of this book is to discuss plausible explanations for why the sexual abuse of children by females has been overlooked and denied. Valuable insights are provided to aid the professional in efforts to more effectively understand and assist the survivor of sexual abuse in his or her recovery process. In particular, the book elucidates factors that influence treatment considerations specific to survivors of female sexual abuse.
Purpose: The purpose of the book is twofold: (1) to counter the prevailing beliefs that all sexual abuse occurs at the hands of males; and (2) to provide treatment guidelines for the professional. This type of book is very valuable, and this book meets the editor's objectives.
Audience: The book is written for all professionals, and it is especially targeted to therapists working in various settings with sexual abuse survivors. The editor is an expert in the field, and for the most part, all contributing authors have had significant experience working with survivors in various contexts.
Features: The book uses charts and tables several times to display statistics and demographics effectively, although no other illustrations are used. The references are adequate, and the table of contents and index are very helpful in locating specific information. A unique and especially effective feature of the book includes several survivor stories of both males and females. Because the topic of sexual abuse by females has been largely ignored, the case histories provide the reader with a more thorough understanding of the various contexts in which abuse can be initiated and sustained as well as the long-term emotional effects.
Assessment: This is an extremely valuable book for all professionals, and it greatly increases the current state of knowledge, or lack of that knowledge, that can have a profound influence on the survivor's development and recovery.

Doody's Review Service

4 Stars! from Doody

The goal of this book is to discuss plausible explanations for why the sexual abuse of children by females has been overlooked and denied. Valuable insights are provided to aid the professional in efforts to more effectively understand and assist the survivor of sexual abuse in his or her recovery process. In particular, the book elucidates factors that influence treatment considerations specific to survivors of female sexual abuse. The purpose of the book is twofold: (1) to counter the prevailing beliefs that all sexual abuse occurs at the hands of males; and (2) to provide treatment guidelines for the professional. This type of book is very valuable, and this book meets the editor's objectives. The book is written for all professionals, and it is especially targeted to therapists working in various settings with sexual abuse survivors. The editor is an expert in the field, and for the most part, all contributing authors have had significant experience working with survivors in various contexts. The book uses charts and tables several times to display statistics and demographics effectively, although no other illustrations are used. The references are adequate, and the table of contents and index are very helpful in locating specific information. A unique and especially effective feature of the book includes several survivor stories of both males and females. Because the topic of sexual abuse by females has been largely ignored, the case histories provide the reader with a more thorough understanding of the various contexts in which abuse can be initiated and sustained as well as the long-term emotional effects. This is an extremely valuable book for all professionals, and it greatlyincreases the current state of knowledge, or lack of that knowledge, that can have a profound influence on the survivor's development and recovery.

Lisa A. Teegarden

Professionals in counseling, social work and psychotherapy share insights gained from experience in this under-explored field. Interviews with survivors and abusers refute many commonly held myths about female perpetrators, and one family's experience is examined from the viewpoints of family members and their therapists. Includes a review of the literature. Published in the U.K. by Longman (1993) with the subtitle The Ultimate Taboo. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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