Child Sexual Abuse Research Published

The aim of this study, funded by the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse, was to describe the experiences of victim-survivors sexually abused by other children, including their profiles and those of children with harmful sexual behaviors. Also explored was what victim-survivors say about patterns of perpetration, cessation, and disclosure.

The study was informed by the research question: What is the nature of victim-survivors' experiences of children's harmful sexual behavior? Most victim-survivors reported that the sexual abuse by another child began in preschool and primary school, and more than half disclosed their abuse to one or more person. Victim-survivors identified 56 children involved in carrying out their sexual abuse. Eight perpetrators continued to abuse the victim into adulthood. Most harmful sexual behaviour (86 %) involved victimising intent, and physical coercion and violence (71 %). The most long-term and severe abuse was carried out by brothers and male cousins. The findings are discussed in terms of dominant constructs and narratives about children's harmful sexual behaviour, and a model of ‘safe, problematic, and harmful sexual experience’ is proposed to augment therapeutic practice.

At least 50% of child sexual abuse involves perpetration by children, referred to as ‘harmful sexual behavior’. Recently, the sexual abuse sector has focused, importantly, on the child behind the ‘perpetrator’ to support developmentally-appropriate and trauma-informed practice. However, the experiences of victim-survivors of children's sexually abusive behavior are underexplored. The researchers seek to amplify the voices of victim-survivors in policy and practice so that the child behind the victim becomes as visible as the child behind the harmful sexual behaviors.

By Dr Gemma McKibbin

Dr Gemma McKibbin is Senior Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne and is a member of the Violence Against Women and Children research team. She has worked in the field of harmful sexual behaviour research for 10 years. The Theory of Change underpinning her work is: When child sexual abuse is framed as a public health issue and high quality applied research is translated into policy and practice, the child sexual abuse prevention and response agenda strengthens and children and young people are safer from child sexual abuse.