The myth of innocence: sexual scripts and the recognition of child sexual abuse by female perpetrators.

J Sex Res

Department of Criminology, University of Ottawa, 25 University Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1N 6N5.

Published: August 2003

Although child sexual abuse has been studied extensively, minimal attention has been paid to sexual abuse by females. This paper explores the prevalence of female sex offending and reveals the paradoxes that exist within the available data. Moreover, it highlights the role of traditional sexual scripts in impeding the official recognition of the problem. Traditional sexual scripts, particularly the perception of females as sexually passive, harmless, and innocent, appear not only to have influenced broader societal views concerning sexuality and sexual abuse but also to have permeated the criminal law, victim reporting practices, and professional responses to female sex offending. The implicit denial of women s potential for sexual aggression within these three domains may ultimately contribute to the underrecognition of the problem in official sources.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00224490309552195DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

sexual abuse
16
sexual scripts
12
sexual
8
child sexual
8
female sex
8
sex offending
8
traditional sexual
8
myth innocence
4
innocence sexual
4
scripts recognition
4

Similar Publications

Background: Teenage pregnancy rates have globally decreased over the years, but remain high, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Among girls aged 15-19, teenage pregnancy remains the leading cause of death and a significant barrier to education and productivity. Its prevalence was high in pakwach district as reported by the DHO and police report during the pandemic.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Empowerment is vital for individuals' control over their lives but is often constrained for women in India due to deep-rooted patriarchal norms. This affects health, and resource distribution, and increases domestic violence. Domestic violence including physical, sexual, emotional, economic, and psychological abuse is a significant human rights and public health issue.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Although men and women generally receive positive and negative reactions to childhood sexual abuse (CSA) disclosure (Filipas & Ullman, 2001), negative reactions are more common (Gagnier & Collin-Vézina, 2016). Negative disclosure reactions - such as disbelieving, retaliating against, or distracting the survivor - are both prevalent and associated with poorer post-abuse recovery and well-being (Kennedy & Prock, 2018; Ullman, 2010). For male survivors in particular, the responses one receives from others following disclosure may complicate one's sense of masculinity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!