tagged w/ female paedophile
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The Vanessa George case raises important questions about female sexual abuse of children.
Angela Allen and Vanessa George have pleaded guilty to the abuse of children
Both George and Angela Allen were acting alone - and detectives are satisfied neither woman was acting under duress, or being coerced by a man.
These were predatory female paedophiles - women abusing children for their own sexual gratification.
One victim of sexual abuse by a woman is Darren, whose earliest memory is of his mother standing over him naked.
Behavioural Psychologist Michele Elliott
Behavioural psychologist Michele Elliott has 40 years clinical experience working with female sex offenders and their victims.
She told Sky News: "I have spoken with and written to over 800 survivors of female sexual abuse and offenders, and in only 25% of those cases was a man present, involved, anywhere near the home.
"In 75% of cases the woman was acting alone.
"The reality is women abuse, women abuse without men telling them to abuse, and I think we have to acknowledge it for the sake of the children who are being abused.
"Otherwise they will continue to be abused because we as a society don't want to know."
In contrast to sexual abuse by males, female sex abuse tends to take place within the family.
Unseen threat from female paedophiles
Women also tend to abuse children from a younger age.
Female sex abuse often remains hidden behind the veil of happy family life and the apparently normal relationship between mother and child so victims are less likely to come forward.
The statistics in this field are dangerously inadequate, but Michele Elliott estimates that at least 25% of victims of sexual abuse are abused by women.
Two years ago the Behavioural Analysis Unit at CEOP (The Child Expoloitation and Online Protection taskforce) began a study into female sex offenders.
The results are still several years away, but Graham Hill, leading the team, expects the findings to show a high incidence of female sex offending.
Mondays were the worst day - he would cry and sob. So now you just torture yourself - wondering did this woman work on Mondays? Were Mondays the day she did the abuse?
Darren explains: "Women do abuse. I know first hand that women abuse.
"It is going on and we need to acknowledge it otherwise the only people who suffer are the victims because it just puts up another barrier to them coming forward and getting help."
Acknowledging women can and do sexually abuse children challenges everything we assume about the female nurturing instinct - it is the ultimate taboo.
But if there is a legacy of Vanessa George and her crimes, perhaps it is this - that we can no longer deny the existence of the predatory female paedophile.The Vanessa George case raises important questions about female sexual abuse of... more
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