Betrayal of Trust: A Feminist Analysis of Power Relationships in Incest Abuse and its Relevance for Social Work Practice

Correspondence to Dr Lena Dominelli, Department of Applied Social Studies, The University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL. Summary Feminist analyses of incest have revealed that this is a highlyprevalent form of sexual abuse which is perpetrated primarilyby male assailants against young girls. Feminists have focusedon incest as the expression of unequal power relations withinthe family, and demonstrated that it is more than the genitalpenetration of a young girl by her father or step-father. Thispaper examines incest from a feminist perspective and highlightsthe significance for the incest victim/survivor of the abuseof power taking place within intimate ‘family’ relationships.This abuse of power cannot be seen as anything other than abetrayal of trust which undermines the young girl's view ofherself as a sexual being and reinforces her feelings of powerlessnessand subordination. These feelings are very difficult to overcomeeven after disclosure, though dealing with them provides a cornerstonefor feminist work with incest victims/survivors. Moreover, workfeminists have already undertaken in this area holds significantlessons for practitioners wishing to improve their practicewith those experiencing incest abuse.     

Moving beyond Litigation and Positivism: Another Approach to Accusations of Sexual Abuse

Correspondence to Professor Lena Dominelli, Department of Social Work Studies, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 IBJ. Summary The Current polarized debated about false memory and reclaimedmemory with regard to child sexual abuse have trivialized thesignificance of experimental knowledge and contributed to thesilencing of the voice of the victim-survivor. They have alsoenabled the alleged abuser to avoid confronting those elementsof his behaviour which are problematic for others and discouragedpreventative approaches by locking the protagonists into adversarialpositions. We argue that this need not be the case if therapeuticrelationships can operate outside of court driven proceedingsand be aimed at responding to the needs of the victim-survivorto have their experience of abuse validated and of the allegedabuser to work on non-abusive ways of relating to others.     

Deprofessionalizing Social Work: Anti-Oppressive Practice, Competencies and Postmodernism

Correspondence to Lena Dominelli, Department of Sociological Studies, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 ZTU Summary Social Work is in a state of flux. One of the key factors impactingon the direction it is currently taking is market forces. Thisarticle argues that the globalization of the economy and theinternationalization of the state are affecting social workeducation and practice in Britain through the competency-basedapproach being promoted by CCETSW and the government. This isleading to the demise of the autonomous, reflective practitioner,creating instead, a fragmented, deprofessionalized senice thatis poorly placed to meet the requirements of anti-oppressivepractice.