ABSTRACT
Sexual abuse of children, including incest, exists in most Western societies and transcends all boundaries of race, religion, socioeconomic class, age, and gender. Research has found that sexual abuse has been experienced by 33 percent of all males and 50 percent of all females (Report of the Committee on Sexual Offenses Against Children and Youth, 1984). Statistics from Newfoundland's Department of Social Services reveal that between the years 1981 and 1988/89 the reported cases of child sexual abuse, including incest, rose in excess of 5000 percent (Report of the Archdiocesan Commission of Inquiry into the Sexual Abuse of Children by Members of the Clergy, 1990, pp. 32-33). Research suggests that there is under reporting in all areas of sexual abuse and that the majority of sexual abuse survivors/victims do not seek intervention from public agencies (Report of the Committee, 1984, p. 193). Therefore, the actual number of children and adults affected by sexual abuse and incest is probably higher than the reported rates, so that the needs for intervention services are potentially far beyond current capacities. The predominance and extent of sexual abuse is unlikely to be any different in the rural region of Bay St. George, Newfoundland, the setting for this paper.
