Understanding Concentrations of Sexual Violence and Abuse: A New Theory

Abstract

Sexual violence is unevenly distributed, with concentrations reported in some contexts and not others, on global, national, and local levels. To advance understanding of why concentrations develop in some settings and not others, existing theory and research is explored and critiqued, identifying a need for new theory generation. Building on existing knowledge, a new theory of contextual activation is proposed, explaining the social and contextual factors associated with the development of sexual violence and abuse concentrations, through the activation at scale of routine causal mechanisms. The paper concludes with a discussion of implications for enhanced prevention and next steps in testing the utility of this new theory.

Context matters: Conceptualising and operationalising the contextual prevention of child sexual abuse

“…Evidence of an uneven distribution of CSA in time and place (Rayment-McHugh, 2023Rayment-McHugh et al, 2015b) lends support to the important role of macro-level environmental factors in the perpetration of abuse. Indeed, concentrations of CSA are reported in some contexts and not others, including global crisis settings, remote and marginalised communities, and youth-serving organisations.…”

“…At a macro level, sociocultural context impacts people's behaviourincluding risk of experiencing or perpetrating CSAthrough social norms and values, legal and protective systems and resources, and the stressors and challenges experienced at a population level (Rayment-McHugh, 2023). Social norms and values influence people's actions by conveying important information about behavioural standards, including about issues relevant to CSA.…”

“…From an ecological perspective, prevention focus includes broad (macro) systemic issues such as the social determinants of abuse (social conditions and norms), or available formal regulatory controls (e.g. laws, policy, police or child protection services) (Rayment-McHugh, 2023, as well as micro-level family and peer systems. From an environmental criminology perspective, prevention focus should also include microlevel risks at a situational level (such as opportunities for abuse or barriers to active guardianship), or risks within the immediate social or physical environment (that might limit detection or enable access to vulnerable children; Wortley & Smallbone, 2006).…”