Sexual Assault and Justice for Older Women: A Critical Review of the Literature

Abstract

This article provides a critical review of current literature on the sexual assault of older women-including an exploration of the specific features and emotional and physical impacts of older women's experiences-and highlights current gaps and future directions for research, practice, and theory. A review of the literature indicates that older women constitute only a small proportion of victim/survivors. However, there is evidence to suggest that existing research underestimates the extent of this issue. Older women face particular barriers to disclosure and accessing the justice system, resulting in their experiences remaining hidden. Many of these barriers also contribute toward older women's experiences being ignored, dismissed, or downplayed by potential bystanders. These barriers are explored in depth in this article and include cultural context, ageism, cognitive and health impairments, and living in a residential care setting. Responding to, and preventing, the sexual assault of older women requires a tailored approach-and we currently lack sufficient insight to develop appropriate responses. In closing, this article considers how we might work toward achieving "justice" for older women victim/survivors.

Traits of vulnerability in repetitive sexual assaults of mentally disabled people

“…There have been reports of several occurrences in residential centres with very disparate characteristics covering ages as young as pre-puberty, and with individual cases of abuse not restricted to the mentally disabled. 13,14 The case series we described were brought to our attention by the mass media and demonstrate a severely broken relationship of duty and confidence between suffering people (MDW) and caregivers. The special importance of such a duty has been formulated, and particular emphasis has been put on the duty-of-care analysis in this setting.…”

Occupational Well-Being in Sexual Assault Victims and Survivors

“…In addition, sexual assault frequently occurs within the context of IPV (Kennedy, Bybee, McCauley, & Prock, 2018). An increased understanding of the holistic nature of sexual assault, health, and occupations is necessary for nurses to continue to facilitate and support patient health, as sexual assault victims and survivors do utilize health care in diverse settings, including in the workplace (Fileborn, 2017; Goyal et al, 2017).…”

Practitioner Views on the Impacts, Challenges, and Barriers in Supporting Older Survivors of Sexual Violence

“…The existing research has found the types and nature of sexual violence experienced by older women are similar to that of younger women. For example, the vast majority of victims are female and perpetrators are male ( Bows & Westmarland, 2017 ; for a review, see Bows, 2017b ; Fileborn, 2016 ), rape tends to be the least commonly reported offense (Ball & Fowler, 2008), and the majority of victims know their perpetrator ( Bows, 2017b ; Fileborn, 2016 ; Mann, Horsley, Barrett, & Tinny, 2014 ). By contrast, there is still a poverty of research examining the effects of sexual violence on older people, their support needs and coping strategies, and experiences of accessing support services.…”

“…Little is known about older people’s support needs, or the effectiveness of responses by professional practitioners, following experiences of sexual violence ( Bows, 2017b ; Mann et al, 2014 ) or intimate partner violence ( Brossoie & Roberto, 2016 ). Despite increased research examining elder abuse, there remains significant gaps in the literature specifically examining sexual violence against older people and consequently our understanding of these issues remains limited ( Fileborn, 2016 ). Moreover, there is currently no existing literature on the experiences of practitioners in supporting older survivors of sexual violence, although previous research with younger survivors of domestic and sexual violence have found that some experience vicarious trauma or emotional distress ( Baird & Jenkins, 2003 ; Dworkin, Sorell, & Allen, 2016 ; Schauben & Frazier, 1995 ; Slattery & Goodman, 2009 ).…”

“…This is the first published study to include a focus on the challenges that the age of survivors can create for practitioners working in sexual violence organizations. Focusing on the intersections of age and gender, this article responds to calls from previous researchers ( Fileborn, 2016 ; Jones & Powell, 2006 ; Whittaker, 1995 ) to examine sexual violence against older people through a feminist lens.…”