Female Survivors

Since the modern "rediscovery" of childhood sexual abuse in the late 1970s/early1980s, female survivors have played an important, active role in campaigning against CSA. They have borne witness through autobiography and staffed agencies (especially voluntary and self-help groups) which support other survivors. This has had many similarities with the involvement of women working against domestic violence.

At one time, it was thought up to 90% of sexual abuse victims might be female, although growing awareness of male abuse continues to reduce such high estimates. Research literature, studies and support services continue to focus more on women, especially on the physical and mental health effects of CSA.

While of course many issues are the same for female and male survivors, some are of special concern to women. These include:

• Effects of abuse trauma on the experience of pregnancy (including young teenage pregnancy).
• Fertility, childbirth and post-childbirth.
• Links with domestic abuse, other "intimate partner violence", rape and prostitution.
• Very low self-esteem or self-hatred.
• Wider impacts on women’s sexual health.
• Issues connected with mothering.
• The way abused female patients in physical and mental health have been perceived and treated.
• Women and the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder.
• Needs of women survivors in prisons and special hospitals.

For example many women survivors report that some stereotyped prejudices against women persist even in these supposedly enlightened times. Thus traumatised women may still be viewed as manipulative, dependent or hysterical.

You can read more about many of the issues mentioned above in our Research, Library" and Help and Support sections.