the resource project
References
When a Woman Caused Harm
The Resource Project was developed using current trauma-informed guidance from the Ontario child advocacy centres, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, BOOST Child & Youth Advocacy Centre, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, the Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies, the Canadian Paediatric Society, and peer-reviewed research on child development and recovery following childhood sexual abuse.
Some recommendations have been adapted for clarity and readability.
The following organizations and publications were referenced in the preparation of this information.
Augarde, S., & Rydon-Grange, M. (2022). Female Perpetrators of Child Sexual Abuse: A Review of the Clinical and Empirical Literature — A 20-Year Update.Aggression and Violent Behavior, 62, 101687. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1359178921001415
Bradbury, P., & Martellozzo, E. (2021). ‘Lucky Boy!’: Public Perceptions of Child Sexual Offending Committed by Women.Journal of Victimology and Victim Justice, 4(2), 160–178. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/25166069211060091
Denov, M. S. (2003). To a Safer Place? Victims of Sexual Abuse by Females and Their Disclosures to Professionals.Child Abuse & Neglect, 27(1), 47–61. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12510030/
Female-on-Female Child Sexual Abuse. (2026). Child Abuse & Neglect, 177, 108085. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S014521342600205X
Hetherton, J. (1999). The Idealization of Women: Its Role in the Minimization of Child Sexual Abuse by Females.Child Abuse & Neglect, 23(2), 161–174. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10075185/
Robertson, A. M., et al. (2025). “It’s a Slippery Slope”: Antecedents of Female-Perpetrated Sexual Abuse of Adolescents in Australian Educational Settings.https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11731399/
Weinsheimer, C. C., Woiwod, D. M., Coburn, P. I., Chong, K., & Connolly, D. A. (2017). The Unusual Suspects: Female versus Male Accused in Child Sexual Abuse Cases.Child Abuse & Neglect, 72, 446–455. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28957767/