Media Release

September 16 2009

New study gives a voice to ethnic victims of child sex abuse

Abuse victim A study at UniSA is hoping to determine the impact of sexual abuse during childhood on Australian women who identify with an ethnic group.

PhD researcher Tanja Stojadinovic from the School of Psychology, Social Work and Social Policy believes that while sexual abuse during childhood is not limited by class, race or ethnicity, there is a distinct lack of ethnic diversity in other studies on the topic.

“Across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and many other parts of the world, child sexual abuse is under-reported, underestimated and invisible,” she says.

“In many cultures, discussing child sexual abuse has been considered taboo and because of this many people suffer in silence.”

Stojadinovic says this lack of research exists on our own shores as well.

“In Australia, health practitioners are hesitant to ask about child sexual abuse among people from different cultural backgrounds even when they suspect this is the cause for a person’s current mental health problems,” she says.

“Often these fears relate to concerns about crossing cultural boundaries or a general inability to discuss these issues with clients.”

Sexual abuse during childhood is a common occurrence. In Australia literature suggests that as many as one in three women and one in six men have been subjected to unwanted sexual attention during childhood.

Similarly, evidence available in Europe suggests that sexual abuse during childhood occurs in seven to 36 per cent of females and three to 29 per cent of males. A review of European literature has found that child sexual abuse is an issue of great concern but a lack of research in the area in different countries makes comparisons difficult.

Stojadinovic believes that ‘cultural norms’ and values within ethnic groups can impact on the disclosure, treatment and intervention of adults who were abused as children.

“Within many ethnic cultures, cultural idiosyncrasies such as notions of family loyalty, shame and self-blame can play a huge role in whether victims speak out and how they feel about the abuse,” she says.

For her research, Stojadinovic is searching for women volunteers aged 18 and above who have been subjected to some form of unwanted sexual contact during their childhood (both contact and no-contact). Face to face interviews will be conducted in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

Participants will experience two confidential and anonymous interviews – one regarding their ethnic identity, the other regarding the unwanted sexual contact experienced as a child.

Stojadinovic hopes that her research will highlight the issues faced by ethnic identified Australian women.

“What these brave women reveal will give clear indications about the effects of child sexual abuse on women from different ethnic groups with a view to guiding treatment and intervention solutions for the future,” she says.

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