Gemma McKibbin, Deb Aldrick, Simon Hackett
Amplifying Voices of Victim-Survivors of HSB
Workshop Abstract
This workshop presents new international research from the Amplifying Voices of Victim-Survivors: Advancing the Harmful Sexual Behaviour Evidence Base (AVA) project, funded by Australia’s National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse.
The AVA study represents the first dedicated qualitative exploration of the experiences of people sexually abused by other children—an area neglected in both the research and policy landscape. Drawing on two recently published papers, the session will report key findings from interviews with twenty-five Australian victim-survivors of child-perpetrated sexual abuse.
The first paper, The Child Behind the Victim, maps the profiles and patterns of victimisation, disclosure and cessation, and proposes a new model of safe, problematic and harmful sexual experience to complement existing continuums of children’s sexual behaviour. The second paper, The Victims Become the Scapegoats, provides an interpretive analysis of survivors’ meaning-making across five constructs: shifting identities, unspeakable betrayal, tenacious resistance, alternative justice, and hard-won recovery.
Together, these studies expand current understandings of children’s harmful sexual behaviour by foregrounding the experiences and insights of those who were harmed. They challenge dominant narratives that focus exclusively on the “child behind the behaviour” and call for more balanced frameworks that also acknowledge the “child behind the victim.”The workshop will integrate presentation and dialogue.
Following an overview of the research and theoretical implications, findings will be workshopped with an AVA Survivor to explore how victims’ experiences can be better embedded in prevention, early intervention, and therapeutic treatment responses to children’s harmful sexual behaviour. The session will conclude with collective reflection on how survivor-informed evidence can strengthen rights-based, trauma-informed, and ethically balanced systems of response.
About the Speakers
Dr Gemma McKibbin is Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Social Work at the University of Melbourne. She brings 10 years of research experience to the children’s harmful sexual behaviour and child sexual exploitation field. The Theory of Change underpinning her work is: When child sexual abuse is framed as a public health issue and high quality applied research is translated into policy and practice, the sexual abuse prevention and response agenda strengthens, and children and young people are safer from sexual abuse. Gemma received the University of Melbourne Award for Excellence in Research with External Organisations in 2024 Australian advocate.
Deborah Aldrick is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and a passionate voice for awareness, prevention, and healing. Through her book Circling The Wagons and extensive advocacy work, Deb shines a light on the lived experiences of survivors and the importance of open dialogue around intra-familial childhood sexual abuse. She has contributed to the AVA Project COC HSB working group with the University of Melbourne, co-presented at the Bright Futures Forum, and participated in numerous national initiatives. As the founder of Dragonfly Advocacy, Deb combines personal insight, empathy, and resilience to empower survivors and drive meaningful change.
Professor Simon Hackett is Professor of Child Abuse and Neglect in the Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse at Durham University, UK. With over three decades of experience in the field, Simon has conducted extensive research and authored a wide range of publications on HSB in childhood. He is the primary author of the NSPCC’s framework for responding to children exhibiting harmful sexual behaviors and a co-author of the widely used AIM3 assessment model. Simon actively participates in various professional associations dedicated to preventing and responding to child sexual abuse. He is incoming President of ATSA and past Chair of NOTA.