“Perpetrators of CSE are usually male but may belong to any socio-economic, ethnic group or culture.” Is this statement true or false?

[Brokenness]

This question was part of the assessment at the end of an online course for school staff about child sexual exploitation. I selected "true", which was marked as incorrect. Of course perpetrators can be female, but I'm not convinced that "usually male" is untrue.

[Brokenness]

The course provider, SSS learning ltd, have answered my query thus:
I have copied this from the course notes section which will be useful for you.

Perpetrators of CSE can be male or female and belong to any socio-economic, ethnic group or culture. They can operate as individuals or as part of a group and target children remotely via online mediums as previously mentioned or directly in person.

I think the word ‘usually’ in the question has caused the confusion. I have spoken with our safeguarding specialists and we are going to amend that question now.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

A very swift, and in my view, good response.

[Aesopfable]

Amend it presumably so it looks like women are as likely to commit CSE as men?

[ItsMsActually]

Handmaidens everywhere unfortunately

[TheProdigalKittensReturn]

If as it looks like they're going to change the question to remove even the suggestion that maybe men commit more CSA then I don't think that's a good response at all.

[Aesopfable]

It also depends on how you define roles. For example, anecdotally with no expertise in this area at all, it seems to me that mothers do not always protect children from abusers even when informed of the abuse. I suppose they could be said to be ‘passive perpetrators’?

[Brokenness]

The course materials did not discuss the proportion of perpetrators who are male. I think it's an improvement if the assessment questions are in line with that. The question as it stood, was unclear, and the "false" answer implying perpetrators were not usually men was worse. I don't know exactly how the question will be changed, of course.

[R0wantrees]

The course materials did not discuss the proportion of perpetrators who are male.

That seems a serious omission.

[TheProdigalKittensReturn]

I see the attempt to relabel those who don't intervene to stop CSA as perpetrators in the same way as those committing the CSA are is politically motivated by MRA type views. It's a way to fudge the numbers and redirect blame away from the predominantly male abusers.

(The reason I see it this way is that I've had this very argument with MRAs multiple times - this is something that they wanted to see happen.)

[RumbaswithPumbaas]

I suspect the question was aimed at testing that the candidate understood (with respect to safeguarding) that perpetrators could potentially be from any demographic and not to assume that any individual/group was not a risk.

The use of ‘usually’ makes it into a whole different question.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

It's a classic mistake in knowledge testing where you ask two questions instead of one. In this case though, it's a pretty big mistake!

[Aesopfable]

I see the attempt to relabel those who don't intervene to stop CSA as perpetrators in the same way as those committing the CSA are is politically motivated by MRA type views.

If they want to define perpetrators this way then there are police forces, and a lot of individuals, who should be facing criminal charges.

[Thelnebriati]

I'd ask them to clarify the question and supply some statistics to back up their assertion.
The CSA centre states ''The vast majority of perpetrators are male (always over 90% in prevalence studies)'' p53
www.csacentre.org.uk/documents/scale-and-nature-scoping-report-2018/

''Based on 17 samples from 12 countries, the current meta-analysis found that a small proportion of sexual offenses reported to police are committed by females (fixed-effect meta-analytical average = 2.2%).
In contrast, victimization surveys indicated prevalence rates of female sexual offenders that were six times higher than official data (fixed-effect meta-analytical average = 11.6%)''
www.researchgate.net/publication/305384459_The_Proportion_of_Sexual_Offenders_Who_Are_Female_Is_Higher_Than_Thought_A_Meta-Analysis

[PaleBlueMoonlight]

I think amending the question to reflect the fact that perpetrator could be male or female is sensible, because the aim of the question is to stop people making assumptions and to ensure that individuals do not base their evaluation on statistical likelihood or learnt prejudices because if they do they will be more likely to miss the signs.

[Angryresister]

It also depends on how they define women. Seems pretty accurate to me. It would be interesting to know how it will be changed. In terms of exploitation in relation to selling of children some girls are used by adults to draw others in, and women are also used in this way, so yes this does happen, but in terms of CSA it is overwhelmingly male bodied people that do it. If the crime statistics record men as women then the result will be that figures go up for “women” .this is probably why misinformation is being passed around

[Goosefoot]

I suspect the question was aimed at testing that the candidate understood (with respect to safeguarding) that perpetrators could potentially be from any demographic and not to assume that any individual/group was not a risk.

This is how I am reading it too. They are looking to make sure the people taking the test are not overlooking certain situations because they don't fit their assumptions about who is an abuser.

[ArriettyJones]

How odd. It’s so obviously true.

[YinMnBlue]

Amend it presumably so it looks like women are as likely to commit CSE as men?

In the context of safeguarding it is really important for adults with a duty of care for young people never to make any assumptions about who might or might not be responsible for abuse or a perpetrator.

Ammending the question to "Perpertrators of CSE may be of any sex or gender, or sexuality and may be from any cultural, ethnic or social-economic group2 True or False. To keep children safe we have to take into account that that is true.

The fact in outcome will be that most perpetrators are men, but as safeguarders we can't make that assumption when dealing with a disclosure or red flags.

[BeetrootRocks]

So all the other people who took this test, and answered true, will lose that mark
And all the people previously as well

And will get the idea it is incorrect that men are way more likely to be perpetrators of CSA (and in fact all sex crimes) than women?

There is an agenda here isn't there. Seeing it in, it's a person problem not related to men or women, women do it too, women offending is so unreported they are probably just as bad, and all the other MRA arguments for clouding the fact that this is an overwhelmingly male problem.

[ScrimpshawTheSecond]

This is reminding me slightly of that recent Interpol campaign to highlight female crime. Managed to imply women were as violent and as likely to commit a crime as men.

www.europol.europa.eu/newsroom/news/crime-has-no-gender-meet-europe%E2%80%99s-most-wanted-female-fugitives

Basically blaming women's emancipation, as far as I can tell.

'technological progress and social norms have liberated women from the home, increasing their participation in the crime market'

[BeetrootRocks]

Just why are so many professional orgs pushing this though?

Anyone got any thoughts?

[ScrimpshawTheSecond]

Because it makes the menz look bad if they use accurate statistics?

[1forsorrow]

Many years ago I worked in an area where we dealt with CSE. Are they including the women who "turn a blind eye" I was always shocked at how often a woman knew what was going on but didn't do anything about it, even mothers. I'm not sure it is because does ignoring it make you a perpetrator? No I'm not sure although I think they do carry guilt.

Thinking about it with drawing young girls in, say 13, 14, 15 year olds sometimes older girls would be involved with that.

Impossible to say really unless they define what perpetrator means.

[1forsorrow]

I suppose the important thing is to realise it could be anyone.

[1forsorrow]

I think it would be better if they said, "“Perpetrators of CSE can be male or female and may belong to any socio-economic, ethnic group or culture.” Is this statement true or false?*

[MockersxxxxxxxSocialDistancing]

It is also likely that any women involved in the sexual abuse of young children do so to aid and abet a male offender.