Abstract There is a general perception that women are victims and men are the perpetrators of sexual offense. Female perpetrators of sexual crimes have been neglected in the research literature, because female sex offenders do not live up to preconceptions of female as motherly and caring. Females tend to be responsible for a very small portion of all crimes and are estimated to account for 1-2% of all sexual offenses. Theories use to discuss female sex offending include neutralization of behavior, mental health and feminist theory. The aim of the present study was to describe female sex offenders and examine the relationship between the perpetrator and the victim by analyzing court judgments. Convictions ( N=22) from the Swedish district courts, where female convicted of sexual crimes in accordance with legislation on sexual crimes during the years 2008-2013 were examined. Significantly more females (82%) denied the offenses they were charged off. The majority of the perpetrators had a relationship with the victims and carried out their crimes with a male accomplice. Of the 27 sexual crimes perpetrated, 63% of the victims were under 18 years old and were primarily female. Most women in this study were given a sanction of a non-custodial nature. Female sex offenders are a relatively unexplored group of sexual offense perpetrators. They do exist and sexual offending causes a great deal of harm to victims and society, so it is worth studying. Keywords: Female perpetrator, female criminals, sexual crimes, convictions, female.

The thesis is a descriptive study of female perpetrators of murder as viewed from the individual level, primarily focusing on the characteristics of the offender which could affect the murder, and the context of the murderous act. Following a theoretical examination, the empirical section presents the results of research in women's prison using an integrated research methodology of qualitative but also quantitative techniques of data collection and interpretation. The primary research analyzed prison's documents about murderers with the research sample consisting of all imprisoned women ie half of all incarcerated women in the Czech Republic. In-depth interviews were carried out with predominantly perpetrators of intimate homicides; other data collection techniques were used. The data detected the forms of murderous behavior of women, the typology of murder by motivation, mapping the social situation of female convicts in prison, selected attitudes of homicide offenders including the analysis of family murders. The results indicated that the prototype of homicides committed by women are intimate murders that fall within the largest group of intrafamily murder. The most common cause is a partner homicide conflict situations, long-term domestic violence and excessive alcohol consumption for both...

This research narrative represents a co-construction of domestic violence focusing on the male victim. The narrative’s main aim is to contribute to the body of work that seeks to ensure that the invisible male victims of domestic violence have a voice, and that they are counted. Little research has been undertaken to voice the experiences of male domestic violence victims. Domestic violence is constructed using a social constructionist perspective and Tom’s narrative is elicited and analysed by means of narrative methodology. Tom is a citizen of the United States of America and due to his geographical location a face-to-face interview was not possible. The best means to collect his narrative was through electronic mail (email) which granted Tom and the researcher the opportunity to reflect upon the research process as it unfolded. The research narrative found some similarities between Tom’s experiences and those noted in other published research narratives. Some of these similarities included the minimal extent of physical injuries to Tom, the more prevalent occurrence of psychological abuse and the use of institutional measures to control his behaviour. In contrast to the literature reviewed, Tom reported that his ex-wife was hurt more often during her violent outbursts. It is recommended that future research includes as many members of the affected family as possible in order to ensure a rich and diverse narrative. In addition, it is suggested that similar research be conducted in a sensitive way and over a short period. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Psychology / unrestricted

This literature study aims to investigate women’s violence on men. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is well researched within the context of women as victims and men as perpetrators. However, men who fall victim to female-perpetrated IPV is not a known subject to the general public. The study will therefore study men as victims to IPV where women are perpetrators as well different types of violence such as psychological, physical, sexual and digital violence. Men’s experiences as victims of IPV will also touch on their help-seeking experiences which are affected by hegemonic masculinity, stigma and shame. This literature study has used a lot of empirical material that contains qualitative studies from different countries thus making it difficult to draw general conclusions. The purpose is however to discuss the subject in relation to different theories, highlights and understand men's experiences as victims of female-perpetrated IPV.

Syftet med denna studie var att genomföra en systematisk litteraturöversikt med en narrativsyntes för att utforska det aktuella kunskapsläget om kvinnor som utsätter barn försexualbrott. Studien undersökte allmänhetens och yrkesverksammas uppfattningar om dessaförövare och utforskade de karaktärsdrag som tillskrivs dessa kvinnor. Resultatenanalyserades med ett genusperspektiv, social kognitionsteori och teorin om kognitivdissonans. Resultaten av granskade artiklar indikerade att dessa sexualbrott utgör ettbetydande samhällsproblem på grund av deras dolda natur samt de samhälleliga ochprofessionella fördomar som ser kvinnor som vårdande och trygga. Dessa uppfattningar, somhar sina rötter i sociokulturella könsnormer, försvårar upptäckten och hanteringen av sådanabrott. Kvinnliga förövare betraktas ofta som mindre allvarliga jämfört med manliga förövare,som anses vara den typiska bilden av sexualbrottsförövare mot barn. Trots svårigheter attkategorisera dessa kvinnor identifierades vanliga faktorer som egna erfarenheter av våld,psykisk ohälsa och missbruk. Studien belyser en betydande forskningslucka och uppmanartill en granskning av organisatoriska och statliga riktlinjer samt utbildning för att förbättramedvetenheten och förståelsen, vilket kan stärka skydden för utsatta barn och stödjautvecklingen av effektiva förebyggande åtgärder / The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic literature review with a narrative synthesis to evaluate current knowledge of female-perpetrated sexual offenses against children. It examined public and professional perceptions of these offenders and explored the characteristics attributed to these women. The findings were analyzed through a genderperspective, social cognition theory and cognitive dissonance theory. The results of reviewedarticles indicate that these offenses are a significant social issue due to their convert nature and the societal and professional biases that perceive women as nurturing and safe. These biases, rooted in the sociocultural gender views, hinder the detection of management of suchcrimes. Female offenders are often seen as less severe compared to male offenders, who is considered the typical image of child sexual abuse perpetrators. Despite difficulties in categorizing these women, common factors such as histories of violence, mental health issues, and substance abuse were identified. The study highlights a significant research gap. It calls for an examination of organizational and governmental guidelines and training to improve awareness and understanding, which can enhance protection for vulnerable children and support the development of effective preventive measures.

Mental health services in South Africa and the field of psychology are not keeping up with the changed landscape of child sexual abuse that includes women who perpetrate these violations. New laws have not made a massive impact on out of control behaviours, while the paucity of mental health services for women who sexually violate children is a significant failing in mental health service provision. Exploratory, descriptive research approached the topic from the perspective of the psychology of healing rather than the psychology of wrongdoing. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 38 professionals in relevant fields, purposefully selected in four provinces in South Africa that revealed a lack of knowledge, resources, and funding, as well as gaps in curricula. Some practitioners were willing to work with women who sexually violate children, while others were either unwilling or reluctant to do so for various reasons. Women who sexually violate children are typically not mentally ill but could have mental disorders and lives dominated by dysfunction and trauma. Data were analysed utilising Attride- Stirling’s (2001) thematic networks, while Gannon, Rose, and Ward’s (2008) descriptive model of female sexual offending (DMFSO) provided the theoretical framework. Recommendations include establishing online services to aid perpetrator disclosure and therapeutic interventions, providing individual psychotherapeutic interventions to uncover more than recent trauma, directing donor funding to sex offender programmes, networking among service providers including government agencies, and training those within the mental health services environment and the criminal justice system. Furthermore, mental health and relevant medical practitioners need to ensure comfort with their sexuality and to resolve their psychological blind spots before offering psychotherapeutic interventions to women who sexually violate children. / Psychology / Ph. D. (Psychology)