Caring for a Man Who Sexually Abused Children

Abstract

Child sex abuse is a serious health concern, involving considerable pain, suffering, and hurt for victims and their families, as well as generating public interest and scrutiny. Such abuse damages, weakens, but perhaps surprisingly does not necessarily sever all family ties. In this article, people from familial networks within which child sexual abuse has occurred recount their experiences of extending compassion and support to a man who has sexually abused children. Crucially, the supporters acknowledge the gravity of child sex abuse and their stories emphasize the need to ensure the safety of the victims of abuse and other children. Our participants attempt to balance the needs of the victims with a continued commitment to supporting offenders so that they are less likely to reoffend. We document how in maintaining ties with an offender, supporters in fact take on elements of an offender’s stigma, and also become tainted. Support narratives offer insights into how society might develop more holistic understandings of the consequences of child sex abuse and ultimately help us understand offenders and the efforts of those around them to provide integrated rehabilitation and to minimize the risk of reoffending.