Female Perpetrators of Sexual Abuse

Yıl 2021, , 524 - 536, 30.09.2021

Zeynep Belma Gölge , Emel Bayraktar Seda Akdemir

https://doi.org/10.18863/pgy.822224

Öz

Women’s potential for sexual abuse was not recognized, until recently. Defining women as “victims” rather than “aggressors” in sexual assaults and also considering women as “primary caregivers” for children may be one of the main reasons for ignoring their potential to be sexually abusive. Recent findings showed that women sexually abuse children they closely know, and care for. Although, the information about prevalence and characteristics of female-perpetrated sexual abuse has started to be obtained with the increase in research on female sexual abusers, detailed information as much as male sexual abusers are still necessary. Although the prevalence of female-perpetrated sexual abuse is not precise, recent research suggest that is much higher than thought. Studies reported problematic relationships with women, depression, substance abuse, suicide attempts, anxiety problems, sexual problems, identity confusion, feelings of betrayal in the victims of female-perpetrated sexual abuse. Treatment programs for male sexual abusers are frequently used in the treatment of female abusers, but these programs do not respond to the needs of female sexual abusers. There is an absence of regular data on female sexual abusers in Turkey, so studies on female sexual abusers and the victims are required.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Female abusers, sexual abuse, female pedophiles

Kadın Cinsel İstismarcılar

Öz

Kadınların cinsel istismarcı olabilme potansiyeli yakın zamana kadar kabul edilmemiştir. Özellikle kadınların cinsel saldırılarda “saldırgan”dan ziyade “mağdur” olarak tanımlanması, ayrıca çocuklar için temel bakıcı figürü olarak değerlendirilmeleri onların istismarcı olabilme potansiyellerinin göz ardı edilmesinin temel nedenlerinden biri olabilmektedir. Elde edilen son bulgular kadınların tanıdıkları ve özellikle bakım verdikleri çocukları istismar edebileceklerini göstermektedir. Kadın cinsel istismarcılar konusunda yakın dönemli çalışmaların da artmasıyla kadın istismarcıların yaygınlığı ve özellikleri hakkında bilgiler edinilmeye başlanmış olsa da bu grup hakkında erkek cinsel istismarcılar kadar detaylı bilgileri henüz elde edilememiştir. Kadın cinsel istismarcıların yaygınlığı konusunda da henüz net bir oran bulunmamakla birlikte yakın dönemli çalışmalarda düşünüldüğünden çok daha fazla olduğu ifade edilmektedir. Yapılan çalışmalarda kadın cinsel istismarı mağdurlarında sıklıkla kadınlarla sorunlu ilişkiler, depresyon, madde kullanımı, intihar girişimleri, kaygı bozuklukları, cinsel bozukluklar, benlik karmaşası, ihanete uğrama hissi rapor edilmektedir. Kadın cinsel istismarcıların tedavisinde erkek istismarcılar için uygulanan programlar sıklıkla kullanılmakta ancak bu programlar kadın istismarcıların ihtiyaçlarına yanıt vermemektedir. Ülkemizde kadın cinsel istismarcılara yönelik düzenli verilerin olmadığı görülmekle birlikte, konu hakkında yürütülecek çalışmalara ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

kadın istismarcılar, cinsel istismarcılar, kadın pedofiller

Kaynakça

• Abel GG, Harlow N (2001) The Abel and Harlow child molestation prevention study. İçinde: The stop child molestation book. Philadelphia, Pa: Xlibris. 1 Nisan 2017’de www.childmolestationprevention.org/pdfs/study.pdf adresinden erişilmiştir.
• Akdemir S, Gölge ZB (2019) Kadın cinsel istismarcılara yönelik tutumlar ölçeği’nin Türkçe geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması. In Sosyal Bilimlerde Güncel Akademik Çalışmalar, 2 (Eds T Erdoğan, S Özer): 113-127. Çetinje, Montenegro, Ivpe. ISBN 978-9940-540-64-7.
• Atkinson J (1995) The Assessment of Female Sex Offenders. Kingston, Correctional Service of Canada.
• Banning A (1989) Mother-son incest: confronting a prejudice. Child Abuse Negl, 13:563–570.
• Becker JV, Hall SR, Stinson JD (2001) Female sexual offenders: clinical, legal and policy issues. J Forensic Psychol Pract, 1:29–50.
• Boroughs DS (2004) Female sexual abusers of children. Child Youth Serv Rev, 26:481-487.
• Bourke A, Doherty S, McBride O, Morgan K, McGee H (2014) Female perpetrators of child sexual abuse: characteristics of the offender and victim. Psychol Crime Law, 20:769-780.
• Broussard S, Wagner NG, Kazelskis R (1991) Undergraduates students' perceptions of child sexual abuse: the impact of victim sex, perpetrator sex, respondent sex, and victim response. J Fam Violence, 6:267–278.
• Bunting L (2005) Females Who Sexually Offend Against Children: Responses of The Child Protection and Criminal Justice Systems. London, NSPCC.
• Cain CM, Anderson AL (2016) Female sex offenders: public awareness and attributions. Violence Vict, 31:1044-1063. Center for Sex Offender Management, a project of the office of justice programs, U.S. Department of Justice (2007) Female sex offenders. Retrieved from:. http://www. csom.org/pubs/female_sex_offenders_brief.pdf
• Chow EWC, Choy AL (2002) Clinical characteristics and treatment responses to SSRI in a female pedophile. Arch Sex Behav, 31:211–215.
• Colson MH, Boyer L, Baumstarck K, Loundou AD (2013) Female sex offenders: a challenge to certain paradigmes. Meta-analysis. Sexologies, 22:109-117.
• Cortoni F, Hanson RK, Coache M (2010) The recidivism rates of female sexual offenders are low: a meta-analysis. Sex Abuse, 22:387– 401.
• Curti SM, Lupariello F, Coppo E, Praznik EJ, Racalbuto SS, Di Vella G (2019) Child sexual abuse perpetrated by women: case series and review of the literature. J Forensic Sci, 64:1427-1437.
• DeCou CR, Cole TT, Rowland SE, Kaplan SP, Lynch SM (2015) An ecological process model of female sex offending: the role of victimization, psychological distress, and stressors. Sex Abuse, 27:302– 323.
• Denov MS (2003) The myth of innocence: sexual scripts and the recognition of child sexual abuse by female perpetrators. J Sex Res, 40:303-314.
• Denov MS (2004a) The long-term effects of child sexual abuse by female perpetrators: a qualitative study of male and female victims. J Interpers Violence, 19:1137-1156.
• Denov MS (2004b) Perspectives on Female Sex Offending: A Culture of Denial. Burlington, Ashgate.
• Dube SR, Anda RF, Whitfield CL, Brown DW, Felitti VJ, Dong M (2005) Long-term consequences of childhood sexual abuse by gender of victim. Am J Prev Med, 28:430-438.
• Duncan LE, Williams LM (1998) Gender role socialization and male-on-male vs. female-on-male child sexual abuse. Sex Roles, 39:765-785.
• Eldridge HJ, Elliott IA, Ashfield S (2009) Assessment of women who sexually abuse children. In Sexual Abuse Assessments: Using and Developing Frameworks for Practice (Ed MC Calder):213-227. Lyme Regis, U., Russell House Publishing.
• Elliott M (1994) Female sexual abuse of children: 'the ultimate taboo'. J R Soc Med, 87:691-694.
• Faller KC (1987) Women who sexually abuse children. Violence Vict, 2:263-76.
• Ferguson CJ, Meehan DC (2005) An analysis of females convicted of sex crimes in the state of Florida. J Child Sex Abus, 14:75–89.
• Finkelhor D, Russell D (1984) Women as perpetrators. In Child Sexual Abuse: New Theory and Research (Eds D Finklehor, & Associate):171–187. New York, The Free Press.
• Finkelhor D, Williams L, Burns N (1988) Nursery Crimes: Sexual Abuse in Day Care. Newburry Park, CA, Sage.
• Ford H (2006) Women Who Sexually Abuse Children. In 4th chapter, Furthering our understanding and developing work in this field. England, John Wiley and Sons.
• Freeman JN, Sandler CJ (2008) Female and male sex offenders: a comparison of recidivism patterns and risk factors. J Interpers Violence, 23:1394.
• Frei A (2008) Media consideration of sex offenders: how community response shapes a gender perspective. Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol, 52:495–498.
• Gannon TA, Cortoni F (2010) Female Sexual Offenders: Theory, Assessment, and Practice. Chichester, UK, Wiley-Blackwell.
• Gannon TA, Rose MR (2008) Female child sexual offenders: towards integrating theory and practice. Aggress Violent Behav, 13:442-461.
• Gerke J, Rassenhofer M, Witt A, Sachser C, Fegert JM (2019) Female-perpetrated child sexual abuse: prevalence rates in Germany. J Child Sex Abus, 29:263- 277.
• Giguere R Bumby K (2007) Female sex offenders. Silver Spring, Maryland: Center for effective public policy, center for sex offender management. https://cepp.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/11-Female-Sex-Offenders.pdf adresinden ulaşılmıştır.
• Gil S (2014) Male victims of childhood sexual abuse by a male or female perpetrator. J Trauma Stress Disord Treat, 3:1-6.
• Gölge ZB (2005) Cinsel saldırıda etkili faktörler ve suçlu profili. Yayınlanmamış Doktora Tezi. İstanbul Üniversitesi Adli Tıp Enstitüsü
• Grayston AD, De Luca RV (1999) Female perpetrators of child sexual abuse: a review of the clinical and empirical literature. Aggress Violent Behav, 4:93–106.
• Green AH, Kaplan MS (1994) Psychiatric impairment and childhood victimisation experiences in female child molesters. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 33:954–961.
• Gren A (1996) Child sexual abuse and incest. In Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: A Comprehensive Textbook, 2nd ed (Ed M Lewis):1041-1048. Baltimore, MA, Williams &Wilkins.
• Haliburn J (2017) Mother–child incest, psychosis, and the dynamics of relatedness, J Trauma Dissociation, 18:409-426
• Hall RCW, Hall RCW (2007) A profile of pedophilia: definition, characteristics of offenders, recidivism, treatment outcomes, and forensic issues. Mayo Clin Proc ,82:457- 471.
• Hastings AS (2000) From Generation to Generation: Understanding Sexual Attraction to Children. Stevens Point, WI, National Wellness Institute.
• Helen G (2009) “Mummy wouldn’t do that” the perception and construction of the female child sex abuser. In Evil, Women and the Feminine, 13 May 2009, Budapest, Hungary (Unpublished). 15 Mart 2017’de http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/4503/ adresinden erişilmiştir.
• Hendriks J, Bijleveld CCJH (2006) Female adolescent sex offenders: an exploratory study. J Sex Aggress, 12:31–41.
• Hetherton J, Beardsall L (1998) Decisions and attitudes concerning child sexual abuse: does the gender of the perpetrator make a difference to child protection professionals? Child Abuse Negl, 22:1265–1283.
• Herzog S, Oreg S (2008) Chivalry and the moderating effect of ambivalent sexism: individual differences in crime seriousness judgments. Law Soc Rev, 42:45-74.
• Hislop J (2001) Female Sex Offenders: What Therapists, Law Enforcement and Child Protective Services Need to Know. Ravensdale, WA, Issues Press/Idyll Arbor.
• Johansson-Love J, Fremouw W (2006) A critique of the female sexual perpetrator research. Aggress Violent Behav, 11:12—26.
• Kaufman KL, Wallace AM, Johnson CF, Reeder ML (1995) Comparing female and male perpetrators’ modus operandi: victims’ reports of sexual abuse. J Interpers Violence, 10: 322–333.
• Kelly RJ, Wood JJ, Gonzalez LS, MacDonald V, Waterman J (2002) Effects of mother-son incest and positive perceptions of sexual abuse experiences on the psychosocial adjustment of clinic-referred men. Child Abuse Negl, 26:425-441.
• Kia-Keating M, Grossman FK, Sorsoli L, Epstein M (2005) containing and resisting masculinity: narratives of renegotiation among resilient male survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Psychol Men Masc, 6:169-185.
• Krug RS (1989) Adult male report of childhood sexual abuse by mothers: case descriptions, motivations and long-term consequences. Child Abuse Negl, 13(1):111–119.
• Lawson C (1993) Mother-son sexual abuse: Rare or underreported? a critique of the reseach. Child Abuse Negl, 17:261-269.
• Lawson L (2008) Female sex offenders' relationship experiences. Violence and Vict, 23:331-343.
• Levenson JS, Willis GM, Prescott DS (2015) Adverse childhood experiences in the lives of female sex offenders. Sex Abuse, 27:258-283.
• Matthews JK (1993) Working with female sexual abusers. In Female Sexual Abuse of Children (Ed M Elliot):57−73. NY, Guilford Press.
• Mathews R, Matthews JK, Speltz K (1989) Female Sexual Offenders: An Exploratory Study. Orwell, VT, Safer Society Press.
• Mendel MP (1995) The Male Survivor: The Impact of Sexual Abuse. London, Sage.
• Miccio-Fonseca LC (2000) Adult and adolescent female sex offenders: experiences compared to other female and male sex offenders. J Psychol Human Sex, 11:75—88.
• Nathan P, Ward T (2001) Females who sexually abuse children: assessment and treatment issues. Psychiatr Psychol Law, 8:44−45.
• Nathan P, Ward T (2002) Female sex offenders: clinical and Demographic Features. gJ Sex Aggress, 8:5-21.
• Ogilvie B, Daniluk J (1995) Common themes in the experiences of mother-daughter incest survivors: implications for counseling. J Couns Dev, 73:598-602.
• Peter T (2006) Mad, bad, or victim? making sense of mother—daughter sexual abuse. Fem Criminol, 1:283-302.
• Peter T (2008) Speaking about the unspeakable exploring the impact of mother-daughter sexual abuse. Violence Against Women, 14:1033-1053.
• Peter T (2009) Exploring taboos comparing male and female perpetrated child sexual abuse. J Interpers Violence, 24:1111-1128.
• Petrovich M, Templer DI (1984) Heterosexual molestation of children who later became rapists. Psychol Rep, 54:810.
• Prahlada Rao N, Chand PK, Murthy P (2007) A case of late onset pedophilia and response to sertraline. Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry, 9:235-236.
• Reckling AE (2004) Mother-Daughter Incest. J Trauma Pract, 3:49-71.
• Roe-Sepowitz D, Krysik J (2008) Examining the sexual offenses of female juveniles: the relevance of childhood maltreatment. Am J Orthopsychiatry, 78:405—12.
• Rosencrans B (1997) The Last Secret: Daughters Sexually Abused by Mothers. Brandon, VT, The Safer Socìety Press.
• Saradjian J (1997) Factors that specifically exacerbate the trauma of victims of childhood sexual abuse by maternal perpetrators. J Sex Aggress, 3:3-14.
• Tardif M, Auclair N, Jacob M, Carpentier, J (2005) Sexual abuse perpetrated by adult and juvenile females: an ultimate attempt to resolve a conflict associated with maternal identity. Child Abuse Negl, 29:153-167.
• Tewksbury R (2004) Experiences and attitudes of registered female sex offenders. Fed Probat, 68:30–33.
• Tsopelas C, Tsetsou S, Ntounas P, Douzenis A (2012) Female perpetrators of sexual abuse of minors: what are the consequences for the victims Int J Law Psychiatry, 35:305-310.
• Vandiver DM (2006) Female sex offenders: a comparison of solo offenders and co-offenders. Violence Vict, 21:339-354.
• Vandiver DM, Kercher G (2004) Offender and victim characteristics of registered female sexual offenders in Texas: a proposed typology of female sexual offenders. Sex Abuse, 16: 121–137.
• Wald BK, Archer RP, Winstead BA (1990) Rorschach characteristics of mothers of incest victims. J Pers Assess, 55:417-425.
• Walfield, SM (2018) “Men cannot be raped”: Correlates of male rape myth acceptance. J Interpers Violence, 1-27.
• Ward T, Gannon TA (2006) Rehabilitation, etiology, and self-regulation: The good lives model of rehabilitation for sexual offenders. Aggress Violent Behav, 11:77−94.
• Ward T, Stewart CA (2003) The treatment of sex offenders: risk management and good lives. Prof Psychol Res Pr, 34:353−360.
• Wijkman M, Bijleveld C, Hendricks J (2010) Women don’t do such things! characteristics of female sex offenders and offender types. Sex Abuse, 22:135-156.
• Williams KS, Briere DM (2015) An Incident-based comparison of female and male sexual offenders. Sex Abuse, 27:235-257.
• Yoder J (2003) Women and Gender: Transforming Psychology. USA, Prentice Hall (Pearson Education) NJ