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

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?

Our recent Australian research may have uncovered some answers.

What women who have abused told us

We spoke directly with 18 women convicted of child sexual abuse offences in three states/territories in Australia.

These conversations were not about minimising or excuse-making, but about uncovering missed opportunities for support and intervention throughout their lives that they believe may have prevented them from sexual offending.

Many of these women described needing help long before they abused a child. Many had grown up experiencing their own abuse or neglect.

They talked about wanting counselling, mental health support, guidance around relationships and practical help with parenting.

For some, these unresolved needs and vulnerabilities were closely tied to their experiences in intimate relationships.

One participant who co-offended with her male partner reflected on how early support might have changed her situation:

It would have been good just to have the opportunity to get out of the relationship earlier […] so having resources or counselling or anything really. It got to a point where it was just too late. I was stuck.

Others spoke about repeated attempts to get help from support services, only to encounter barriers that left them feeling dismissed, unsupported and their concerns minimised. As one participant explained:

I really was trying to engage and get help […] they just turned [me] away, it’s like they didn’t want to help me.

Some women did not know what services existed to help them at different times in their lives. Others faced long waitlists and cost barriers.

Several women also described how shame and fear fuelled their silence, including fear of judgement or legal consequences. One woman said:

I should have opened up […] but I didn’t know how to. It’s not that I needed more people to talk to, it’s that I needed to know how to talk to them.

Together, these accounts highlight a key limitation in current prevention and early intervention efforts.

Availability of services alone is not enough; accessibility matters. If people cannot find, afford or safely connect to support then prevention efforts will likely fail.

It’s not just prevention that’s needed

We also acknowledge that while accessibility matters, not everyone will seek support.

In fact, a minority of women in our study admitted nothing would have prevented their offending.

Some felt they weren’t aware they needed help until it was too late, or they would not have accepted it at the time anyway.

This reinforces the necessity for both effective prevention and response.

The women’s accounts in our study reinforce growing calls for gender-responsive strategies.

While risk factors such as trauma, isolation and substance use are not exclusive to girls and women, they often intersect differently with gendered social roles and expectations compared with men.

For example, parenting stress, relationship toxicity and financial insecurity disproportionately affect women and can compound vulnerability.

By no means do these factors minimise or excuse offending, nor do they fully explain it.

Rather, it is about recognising that prevention and early intervention efforts need to address these gendered risks in order to better protect children from harm.

Importantly, these findings support much of the broader prevention work already underway in Australia, such as:

These are all designed to intervene earlier, reduce isolation and support people as ways to prevent harm and safeguard children.

Our findings align with a growing body of evidence suggesting prevention works best when it is practical and embedded from childhood through adulthood.

The challenge that remains is ensuring services are not only available but visible, accessible, nonjudgmental and clearly inclusive of girls and women.

The National Sexual Assault, Family and Domestic Violence Counselling Line – 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for any Australian who has experienced, or is at risk of, family and domestic violence and/or sexual assault.

If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.