Making sense of narrative constructions of child sexual exploitation in England: a qualitative study of how they impact on lived experience, from the perspectives of adult female survivors, non-abusive parents and professionals

Redmond, Theresa

Abstract

Recent years have seen a shift in structural narratives of how ‘child sexual exploitation’ (CSE), a distinct and complex form of child sexual abuse, has been perceived and responded to in discourse and policy. What is currently identified as ‘child sexual exploitation’ used to be labelled ‘child prostitution’. The overarching purpose of this thesis is twofold: to examine the narratives, and narrative shifts, determining dominant understandings of CSE and their impact on policy and agency responses; and how these directly inform and shape the nature of lived experiences of CSE.
This thesis stems from a qualitative study which utilised narrative interviews to capture personal experiences of adult survivors’ of CSE and non-abusive parents whose child is sexually exploited outside the family. The two groups are unrelated. The aim is to develop an understanding of how both groups made sense of their respective experiences, how it impacted on them, and how they perceived and experienced responding agencies. A further group of professionals, conceptualised as conduits of the structural narratives and discourse of CSE, were also interviewed, providing rich contextualisation of the survivors’ and parents’ experiences.
Thematic analysis of the narratives shows that how CSE is constructed, particularly on a structural level, has a direct impact on the personal experiences of those involved, often through the enactment of professionals’ practices and attitudes. Both groups reported that their experience of CSE was often made worse by responding agencies and systems. Victim-blaming narratives of CSE and parent-minimising discourse were the most common, and shaped and exacerbated the participants’ experiences. However, victim-centred and parent-focussed narratives had a more positive impact.
CSE does not exist in a vacuum and ending the sexual exploitation of young people involves tackling other pervasive narratives that facilitate sexual violence. Some agencies and professionals need to develop their response to both victim/survivors and non-abusive parents in order to improve their experiences and meet their support needs.

Citation

Redmond, T. (2019). Making sense of narrative constructions of child sexual exploitation in England: a qualitative study of how they impact on lived experience, from the perspectives of adult female survivors, non-abusive parents and professionals. (Thesis). University of Hull. Retrieved from https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4500290

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Jan 4, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 4, 2024
• Keywords: Sociology; Social sciences
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4500290
• Additional Information: School of Social Sciences; University of Hull
• Award Date: Jan 1, 2019