Some risk factors for becoming a perpetrator

The following are factors that put an individual at a greater risk of sexually abusing children:

• Being male
• Being sexually attracted to children (although many of them have normal sexual relationships with adults)
• Having experienced sexual abuse as a child
• Having access to children
• Having poor interpersonal relationships with peers
• Being immature and identitying with children
• Having deep-seated feelings of vulnerability, inadequacy, emotional loneliness and dependency
• Having high stress levels due to unemployment, marital difficulties or financial problems

From Wurtele, S. K. & Miller-Perrin, C. L. (1992). Preventing child sexual abuse: Sharing the responsibility.
                                                                                     
                                                                                    Rose Marie.

Released child sex offender helps other child sex offenders find housing

Child sex offender speaks out from prison to tell his story

Sex offender speaks about how to protect children

Interesting treatment approach for perpetrators

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)has been used to treat child sexual abusers together with cognitive-behavioural therapy has been shown to be successful in preventing re-offending. EMDR is often used in the treatment of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder and is therefore expecially suited to child abusers that were sexually abused themselves as children. Although how it works is a little bit complicated, I will try my best to explain it.
When somebody has a traumatic experience, the memory of it sometimes gets recorded in a separate random network in the brain that the person does not really have conscious access to. This is a bit like a document in the computer that gets saved improperly in a random file that you cannot access afterwards. However, this traumatic experience still affects the person's perceptions as well as their emotional, cognitive and physical reactions to present day situations. For example, an abuser who was sexually molested as a boy of seven might feel sexual aroused by a 7-year-old boy who reminds him of himself in the past. With EMRD, the therapist will ask the abuser to concentrate on a thought, image or feeling that causes the abuser distress and at the same time make him do some eye movements. This will usually trigger another thought, bodily sensation or feeling which will again be accompanied by a series of eye movements. The eye movements produce an altered mind-brain state that permits the abuser to slowly access and process the memory of past trauma. By doing this he will often realize the real feelings he experienced as a victim and allow him to have empathy for his own victims. It also makes him realize the link between his own experience of abuse and his present sexual behaviours towards children. With EMDR, the abuser's sexual attraction to children will decrease considerably. Therefore, this comes to show that with a some openness and patience from the professionals and some resources from governments, effective ways of treating perpetrators of child sexual abuse can be found. Rose Marie.

From Ricci, R. J., Clayton, C.A. & Shapiro, F. (2006. Some effect of EMDR on previously abused child molesters: Theoretical reviews and preliminary findings. r

Rehabilitating Sex Offenders

.This is the other side of things!
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This is a very powerful video that has been seen on Quebec tv stations. This comercial is to bring about chidhood sexual abuse. It had been at one point taken off the air due to its etreme message and now is only played after a specific hour. Sometimes extreme measures need to be taken to get out an important message!!
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Stop It Now!

Stop It Now! is a website created to help prevent child sexual abuse. It has an online help center (Stop It Now! Helpline) and a helpline phone service (1-888-PREVENT). This website is open to all those concerned with child sexual abuse: victims, families, professionals and perpetrators. It answers questions confidentially, gives information and resources and produces documentation that can be downloaded or ordered for a minimal fee. Its vision is that child sexual abuse is preventable but that to do so adults need to be well informed about all the aspects involved in child sexual abuse. For this reason it creates fact-sheets. It encourages perpetrators to become accountable for their actions but also states that perpetrators need specialized and humane rehabilitation programs to stop abusing and will refer them to resources that will help them.

http://www.stopitnow.com/
                                                                                                    Rose Marie.

History of sexual assault

History has shown that sexual abuse has always existed (deMause, 1998). The research about this topic is extensive and sometimes overwhelming however! To simplify our research we will generally discuss this topic because, there is no exact date that sexual abuse has started! Sexual abuse is even mentioned in the Bible and cases of sexual abuse vary from one culture to another which makes it so complex.  For instance in New Guinea it was very common for the mother of a boy to masturbate him (deMause, 1998).In ancient Western civilizations it was common for fathers to sell their daughters and daughters that had been sexual abused were sold for less because they were “damaged goods” (Cyril J. Smith, 1970). Moreover sexual abuse was also used as punishment or occurred to women and children who lost a war (Cyril J. Smith, 1970).  In 1929 Child marriage was outlawed in India because of child sexual abuse reasons (deMause, 1998). In Japan mothers used to sleep with their sons because they believed it would teach them about sex and keep them from impregnating other young girls (deMause, 1998). There are almost too many cases of sexual abuse in history to document! However I would like to put a quote from the bible about sexual abuse:
"When a man is discovered lying with a married woman, they shall both die; the woman as well as the man who lay with her; you shall rid Israel of this wickedness. When a virgin is pledged marriage to a man and another man comes upon her in the town and lies with her, you shall bring both of them out to the gate of the town and stone them to death; the girl, because, although in the town, she did not cry for help, and the man because he dishonoured another man's wife; you shall rid yourselves of this wickedness. If the man comes upon such a girl in the country and rapes her, then the man alone shall die because he lay with her. You shall do nothing to the girl, she has done nothing worthy of death; this deed is like that of a man who attacks another and murders him, for the man came upon her in the country, and though the girl cried for help, there was no one to rescue her. When a man comes upon a virgin who is not pledged in marriage and forces her to lie with him, and they are discovered, then the man who lies with her shall give the girl's father fifty pieces of silver, and she shall be his wife because he has dishonoured her. He is not free to divorce her all his life long." -Deuteronomy 22: 23-29

References: deMause, L.(1998). The History of Child abuse. The Journal of Pshychohistory 25 (3).

Cyril J. Smith, "History of Rape and Rape Laws.' Woman Lawyers Journal, 60 (1974), P. 191.

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Description of sex offenders in Quebec

1.      Description: Unlike the old myth, most survivors know their sexual abuser (Crowe, Dare, 1998). Moreover, the abusers are usually “family members or are otherwise known to the individual” (Crowe, Dare, 1998). It has also been found that men are predominantly the perpetrators, of all classes, races, and religious backgrounds (Matthews, 1995, pp.15). However more specifically sexual perpetrators in the province of Quebec according to the Correctional Service of Canada (2010) have found the following about sexual perpetrators:
- Most subjects are Quebec born and are French-speaking Caucasian.
-The average age of sex offenders is 36.4.
-Most had completed their grade eight education while waiting for their sentence.
-63.1% of sex offenders were unemployed before being sentenced and those working were employed at unskilled jobs.
-Most sex offenders are single males not in relationships. (Correctional Service of Canada, 2010)

Crowe, M., Dare, C. (1998).Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse: approaches to therapy. Retrieved February 1, 2011, from ww.apt.rcpsych.org/subscriptions/

Mathews, F. (1995).Combining Voices: Supporting Paths of Healing in Adult Female and Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse. National Clearinghouse on Family Violence, Ottawa, Ontario.

Correctional Service Canada. (2010).Quebec Region: Sex Offenders. Retrieved March 2, 2011, from E:\Correctional Service of Canada - Publications - Let's Talk.mht
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Child offenders and past history of sexual abuse

Many perpetrators of CSA were sexually abused when they were children. Most of them never got treatment for it and they often abuse as a way to make themselves feel better about their past abuse. Now they are in the role of the one with the power and the control, as as opposed to being in the role of the powerless victim. Others got the impression as children that this type of sexual relationship between an adult and a child was normal, since the adults around them ignored and did nothing to stop the abuse once they found out about it. Still others don't view their sexual acts with children as being abuse but as a way of showing love and affection.

Pryor, D.W. (1996) Unspeakable acts: Why men sexually abuse children.

How do perpetrators feel about abusing children?

The following are the words from a perpetrator:

"For seven or eight weeks, when nothing was taking place, things seemed to feel normal and okay. I did not feel so terrible about myself. And when my daughters and I would be alone and close together, the incest would occur. After the incident would occur, I would feel so ashamed and hate myself so much that I would be strong enough to keep it from occurring for seven or eight weeks, until I would begin again to feel good, then it would reoccur. It was a cycle of mood swings...it is like one who begins a fad diet and thinks that he has overcome his weight problem becuase he didn't pig out for several weeks, only to find himself on a food binge and realize he has not overcome it al all."

Pryor D. W. (1996). Unspeakable acts: Why men sexually abuse children.

Patriarchal societies contribute to CSA

Some theorists think that the sexist attitudes of patriarchal societies contribute to the occurrence of child sexual abuse by promoting male domination of females. Men are socialized to feel entitled to sex and to use sex as a way to meet their emotional needs. The feminist perspective considers that in patriarchal societies men see their children as possessions and can therefore be used to gratify their sexual needs.

Wurtele, S. K. & Miller-Perrin, C. L. (1992). Preventing child sexual abuse: Sharing the responsibility.

Myths & Realities About Offenders

Myth: Perpetrators are strangers who hide in the bushes and await their victims.
Reality: More than 90% of all sexual abuse victims know their perpetrator. Almost 50% of the offenders are household members and 38% are already acquaintances of the victims.
Of perpetrators in state prisons, 1/3 had committed their crime against their own child and about half had a relationship with the victim as a friend, acquaintance, or relative.
Only 10% of child molesters molest children they don’t know.
Myth: My perpetrator only abused me because I “asked” for it or am somehow responsible.
Reality: The average serial child molester has between 360-380 victims in his lifetime.
At least half of convicted child molesters report that they have also sexually assaulted an adult.
Over two thirds of offenders who reported committing incest said they also assaulted victims outside the family.
Myth: Perpetrators of sexual abuse are dirty old men.
Reality: Females account for approximately 1 in 4 sex offenders and may have an easier time abusing children using the guise of caretaking (diapering, toileting, bathing).
Approximately 20% of child sex offenses are committed by women.

http://www.wingsfound.org/get-information/myths-facts-statistics.html

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Examples of Perpetrators

• The mother's conjoint, who was a father figure for the child. Used to play Nintendo with child and help with homework.
• Adult boarder at the child's family home. Used to help out in return for room and board. Had an excellent relationship with the family's children and used to play with them.It never crossed the mother's mind that he would be capable of abusing her daughters.
• Maternal uncle who had suffered cranial trauma and as a consequence had been left with impulsivity problems.
• Teenage neighbour living in the same apartment block. Was friends with and babysat victim. Had an excellent relationship with both the victim and the victim's mother.
• Father of friends of the victim. He was considered to be an ideal father, organizing his life to make himself available to his daughters as well as to the victim.
• 14-year-old boarder at the house of the victim's grandmother.Used play to get victim to sexually stimulate him. Had a mild intellectual disability and had been sexually abused in the past.
• Adult babysitter with a small visual impairment. Did a lot of voluteer work for the CLSC.

http://www.cecw-ceph.ca/sites/default/files/publications/fr/TurnerIRDS_f.pdf

Rose Marie

Some Canadian Statistics about Perpetrators

• 95% of child abuse victims know their perpetrator
• 80% of all child abusers are the father, foster father, stepfather or another relative or close family friend of the victim
• 97% of perpetrators are male
• More than 40% of convicted child molesters were sexually abused as children and they tend to choose victims close to the age at which they had first been victimized.
• 1 in 7 of those imprisoned for sexual offences against children are under the age of 21 years.
• Some offenders have abused more than 70 children before there is any disclosure on the part of the victims
• Incestuous relationships last an average of 7 years.

http://www.littlewarriors.ca/about_sexual_abuse/statistics.html
http://www.anxietycentre.com/abuse-statistics-information.shtml

Rose Marie

Definition of Sexual Assault

Sexual assault is a creation of statute designed to capture those unwanted sexual advances which fall short of rape or which, while bereft of violence or even contact, nonetheless offend the recipient and are clearly sexual in nature.
Where such an inclusive definition is set out, even sexual acts of which the victim is unaware would be punishable, such as voyeurism.
Yet other jurisdictions use the term to capture sexual offences which include contact between the offender and the victim. The Penal Code of Texas, circa 2009, at §22.011 defines sexual assault as requiring sexual contact and the use of compulsion or force.
In R v Chase, the Canadian Supreme Court, per Justice McIntyre, wrote:

"Sexual assault is an assault within any one of the definitions of that concept in ... the Criminal Code which is committed in circumstances of a sexual nature, such that the sexual integrity of the victim is violated.

"The test to be applied in determining whether the impugned conduct has the requisite sexual nature is an objective one: viewed in the light of all the circumstances, is the sexual or carnal context of the assault visible to a reasonable observer. The part of the body touched, the nature of the contact, the situation in which it occurred, the words and gestures accompanying the act, and all other circumstances surrounding the conduct, including threats which may or may not be accompanied by force, will be relevant. The intent or purpose of the person committing the act, to the extent that this may appear from the evidence, may also be a factor in considering whether the conduct is sexual."http://www.duhaime.org/LegalDictionary/S/SexualAssault.aspx

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Defintion of a perpetrator

Who are the Perpetrators?

Perpetrators are most often someone the child knows and trusts. As far as we know, perpetrators, are most often male relatives, including fathers, brothers, grandfathers, uncles and cousins; friends of the family; or neighbours. Perpetrators can also be female, including mothers, sisters, aunts, babysitters, and grandmothers.
Usually the perpetrator has easy access to the child because s/he has sole responsibility for the child, or takes care of or visits the child, and is trusted by the child's parents.
http://www.kalimunro.com/article_sexualabuse.html
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