Female Sexual Abuse of Children
Edited by Michele Elliott
A Paperback Original
A Paperback Original
orderMay 2, 1994
ISBN 9780898620047
Price: $39.00 244 Pages
Size: 6" x 9"
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.
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.
“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
“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