Understanding the Dynamics of the Victim-Perpetrator Relationship in Child Sexual Abuse: an Examination of the Child Sex Abuse Victimization Data in South Korea

Abstract

The objective of this study is to examine the dynamics of the victim-perpetrator relationship in cases of child sex abuse to develop effective crime prevention measures. The paper first reviews child sexual abuse in an Asian culture, general characteristics of the victim and the perpetrator, reporting behavior, and crime prevention for child sexual abuse. Following, this is a discussion about the data source and its findings. In total, 92 sexually abused children (age 13 or under) participated in medical forensic interviews and psychological evaluations prior to receiving proper medical and/or psychological treatment at a regional victim assistance center for child sexual abuse located in Daegu, South Korea. The findings of the study support the assumptions of a correlation regarding the social environmental characteristics of the victim’s family, the victim-perpetrator relationship, and the sexual abuse. Moreover, some of the findings are quite unique with respect to previous research. For example, about 20 % of the assaults occurred among similar age groups, such as friends and sibling. Additionally, mothers and schoolteachers first recognized almost 80 % of the sexual assaults. Finally, the paper discusses the implications for social environmental crime prevention policy based on these findings.