Intrafamilial child sexual abuse (CSA) remains a profoundly under-researched area, particularly in relation to how parents understand and respond to the possibility of harm within their own families. While the experiences of victim-survivors have rightly been the focus of much research, less attention has been given to the role of parents as potential agents of prevention. Understanding how parents conceptualise intrafamilial CSA, and how they act—or struggle to act—on that knowledge, is crucial to building more effective prevention strategies.
This project seeks to fill that gap by exploring parental knowledge, attitudes, and practices through a series of focus groups with parents who have not experienced CSA in their families. The aim is to generate detailed insights into how parents perceive risk, responsibility, and prevention in the context of intrafamilial abuse. Findings will be used to identify key facilitators and barriers to prevention at the family and community level.
Project team
- Dr Bridget Weir (Chief Investigator)
- Jordie Bowyer (HDR student)
Project supervisor
