“I am talking about it because I want to stop it”: child sexual abuse and sexual violence against women in British South Asian communities

Gill, Aisha K.; Harrison, Karen

Abstract

This paper explores the role of socio-cultural factors in violence against women and girls, focusing on child sexual abuse (CSA) and sexual violence (SV) in British South Asian communities. Using examples from thirteen in-depth interviews with survivors, the researchers examine (i) how abusers gain access to their victims, (ii) family and community responses, and (iii) the role of cultural factors in concealing CSA/SV. The interviews demonstrate that British South Asian survivors are extremely reluctant to disclose SV/CSA due to factors that other groups of victims usually do not face, including a general taboo about discussing sex and strong cultural norms around notions of shame. These findings are contextualised in relation to a larger study that also involved community focus groups and interviews with professionals in relevant fields. Moving forwards, new culturally-specific support pathways for British South Asian victims must be developed that take account of the role that victims and their communities must play if CSA and SV are to be effectively combatted.

Citation

Gill, A. K., & Harrison, K. (2019). “I am talking about it because I want to stop it”: child sexual abuse and sexual violence against women in British South Asian communities. The British journal of criminology, 59(3), 511–529. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azy059

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 1, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Dec 14, 2018
• Publication Date: 2019-05
• Deposit Date: Nov 6, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 15, 2020
• Print ISSN: 0007-0955
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 59
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 511–529
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azy059
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/1146158
• Publisher URL: https://academic.oup.com/bjc/article/59/3/511/5245845
• Contract Date: Jan 18, 2019