Some error occured while loading the Quick View. Please close the Quick View and try reloading the page.
This text sets out the various challenges and opportunities associated with disclosure of sexual abuse. It proposes a social model response that examines the barriers within our society, shifting attention away from individuals being expected to “come forward” and towards collective responsibility.
Price: $119.95
Pages: 208
Publisher: Bristol University Press
Imprint: Policy Press
Publication Date:
24 November 2026
ISBN: 9781447376613
Format: Hardcover
BISACs:
SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sexual Abuse & Harassment, Child abuse, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Social Work, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Children's Studies, Victimology and victims of crime, Sexual abuse and harassment, Age groups: children
“A truly original and wonderfully humane contribution to understanding what helps and what hinders disclosure in the context of child sexual abuse. Written in a very accessible style, this will be an essential guide for those working with, and/or impacted by, this pervasive social problem.” - Brid Featherstone, University of Huddersfield
"This work reimagines sexual abuse disclosure, shifting focus from individual bravery to societal responsibility, and illuminating how we can enable survivors’ voices to be heard." Delphine Collin-Vézina, McGill University
"Essential reading for practitioners and policy makers, a compelling social model for understanding and facilitating disclosure." - Deirdre Kenny, CEO, One in Four Ireland
"This work reimagines sexual abuse disclosure, shifting focus from individual bravery to societal responsibility, and illuminating how we can enable survivors’ voices to be heard." Delphine Collin-Vézina, McGill University
Joseph Mooney is Assistant Professor of Social Work at University College Dublin.
1. Introduction
2. Child Sexual Abuse - Our Fragile Knowledge
3. Disclosure of Abuse
4. Threshold Concepts of Disclosure
5. Societal Responses to Disclosure
6. An Introduction to the Social Model
7. A Social Model of Disclosure
8. Conclusions