Workers Dealing with Mother Blame in Child Sexual Assault Cases

Abstract

ABSTRACT From the 1980s, and now into the 1990s, child sexual assault (CSA) has been recognized as an issue that affects a large number of adults and children. An unforeseen consequence of this growing awareness is that child sexual assault workers often are expected to cope with an influx of cases with little consistent or informed preparation. Often workers must rely primarily on their own beliefs and attitudes, particularly when dealing with incest. A pervasive belief that the mother is somehow to blame in incest cases is examined in this commentary. Research into workers' beliefs and attitudes reveals that a large majority believe the mother knew about the incest In this article a feminist analysis of power relationships is applied to the various manifestations among workers in CSA of mother blame. It was concluded that mother blame pervades much of the thinking and understanding of policy makers and workers and that therapeutic practice can be strongly biased by this belief to the detriment of both child and mother. State departments, agencies and other institutions must examine their programs for such a belief and explicitly address its consequences so as to ensure that the professions do not perpetuate this practice of mother-blame.