Descriptive analysis of the context of child sexual abuse reportedly perpetrated by female suspects: Insights from Saint Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre

Abstract

BackgroundDetermining the prevalence and characteristics of female-perpetrated child sexual abuse (CSA) is fraught with difficultly. There is a historical lack of empirical research and a discrepancy between the number of cases that reach the attention of the authorities and its suspected prevalence in society. It is also noted that for a myriad of reasons many CSA reports do not progress through the criminal justice process so many remain as allegations rather than proven or disproven crimes. ObjectivesThe study set out to answer the research questions: ‘What are the characteristics and context of CSA reportedly perpetrated by females, and what are the similarities and differences in the context of alleged CSA committed by male and female suspects?’ Participants and settingThis study presents data from all service users aged 0–17 years (n = 986) that attended Saint Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) for a forensic medical examination over a three-year period. MethodsData collection was performed retrospectively from the paper case files recorded at the time of attendance. Due to the small number of female suspects, analysis was restricted to frequency calculations. ResultsResults show females were reportedly involved in the alleged abuse of less than 4% of the children attending SARC. Females appeared more likely to be associated with the alleged abuse of younger children and abuse occurring within the child's home. ConclusionsThis study's most arresting feature is that despite the large number of CSA cases examined, it was rare to have a female suspect. This study demonstrates how much is still unknown about female-perpetrated CSA.