We interviewed Australian women who sexually abused children. This is what we learnt

Bricklyn Priebe; Lara Christensen; Nadine McKillop; Susan Rayment-McHugh

doi:10.64628/AA.33rvx7w3p

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We interviewed Australian women who sexually abused children. This is what we learnt

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We interviewed Australian women who sexually abused children. This is what we learnt

Bricklyn Priebe, Lara Christensen, Nadine McKillop and Susan Rayment-McHugh

The Conversation, Vol.21 January 2026

2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.64628/AA.33rvx7w3p

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Abstract

child abuse

child secual abuse

child safety

child sex abuse

Child sexual abuse cases involving female perpetrators are confronting and distressing. When these cases make the news, they often provoke shock and outrage. The involvement of women and girls in child sexual abuse cases has historically been underestimated and under-recognised. Yet, in the United States, approximately 7.6% of confirmed cases are perpetrated by women or girls, though some US states report it to be as high as 36%. In Australia, recorded sexual assault offences involving women and girls have increased from 222 offenders in 2008–09 to 678 in 2023–24: a 205% rise. Public attention has long focused on male perpetrators and on what happens after abuse is uncovered (including prosecution and punishment or cases not proceeding to court). Prevention, however, requires us to act earlier and to ask a different question: what might have prevented these women from sexually abusing a child in the first place?

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Title: We interviewed Australian women who sexually abused children. This is what we learnt
Authors: Bricklyn Priebe - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sexual Violence Research and Prevention Unit
Lara Christensen - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sexual Violence Research and Prevention Unit
Nadine McKillop - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sexual Violence Research and Prevention Unit
Susan Rayment-McHugh - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sexual Violence Research and Prevention Unit
Publication details: The Conversation, Vol.21 January 2026
Publisher: Conversation Media Group
Date published: 2026
DOI: 10.64628/AA.33rvx7w3p
ISSN: 2201-5639
Copyright note: © The Conversation Media Group. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Organisation Unit: Healthy Ageing Research Cluster; Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre; School of Law and Society; Sexual Violence Research and Prevention Unit
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991201650602621
Output Type: Magazine article

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