Position Papers
Position Papers
Position Papers
The Wrong Debate: Reflections on why Force is not the Key Issue with respect to Trafficking
Women for Sexual Exploitation
This short piece is a contribution to the debates within feminism and beyond about trafficking
in women. Liz Kelly argues that most definitions of trafficking are wider than 'force' and that
focusing on 'force' alone plays into the hands of traffickers and exploiters.
After many years of feminist activism and a large increase in the numbers of women
reporting rape, why are rape myths so tenacious? Liz Kelly reviews current research on rape
and sexual assault which shows how men continue to get away with rape.
Marc Dutroux kidnapped and sexually abused a number of young Belgian women. When the
case came to light in the summer of 1996 it prompted outrage and raised serious questions
about both the investigation and how societies should respond to sex offenders. In exploring
this case and its implications Liz Kelly highlights the need for remembering, making
connections and developing coherent approaches to child sexual abuse.
In making child sexual abuse a political issue, feminists focused attention on male power,
challenging the idea that abusers were abnormal, sick individuals. Recently, however, the
term ‘paedophilia’ has been creeping back even into feminist discussions. Here Liz Kelly
warns of the consequences.
Printed in Trouble and Strife, 1996, 33, (Reprinted in Action Against Child Sexual Abuse and
the NOTA Newsletter 1997).
The new buzzword in economic and social analysis is globalisation, but few commentators
have bothered to address it in relation to the sex industry. Here Liz Kelly looks at the ways
trafficking in women has become a global issue, and at what we know about it in relation to
the UK.
In this paper Liz Kelly notes some of the emerging trends in protecting children against
sexual exploitation in Europe, focusing in particular on some of the more contentious and
difficult challenges to our thinking on this issue. The paper outlines the most appropriate
ways to protect children from exploitation of this kind, and highlights the vital connections
between this problem and those of child sexual assault and violence against women more
broadly.
Children and Domestic Violence - Its Impacts and Links with Woman Abuse
Here Linda Regan discusses what is known about the impact on children of living with
domestic violence and the links between the abuse of mothers and the abuse of children.
The paper provides an overview of what is known from research on children’s experiences of
domestic violence and explores the principle of woman protection as child protection.
This paper was presented by Linda Regan in response to ‘Beyond Trauma: Mental Health
Care Needs of Women who have Survived Childhood Sexual Abuse’, a report by Dr Sarah
Nelson for the Edinburgh Association for Mental Health (2001). It explores the ways in which
mental health professionals have traditionally responded to survivors of sexual abuse, and
outlines more appropriate service provision based on the principles of ‘Sanctuary and
Sanctions’.
In this paper Liz Kelly explores the connections between a range of different forms of
violence against women and considers some of the barriers that prevent these important
connections being made in the context of service provision.
Presented by Liz Kelly at the Domestic Violence: Enough is Enough Conference, London,
October 2000.
Making Connections - Building Bridges: Research into Action - Ten Years of the Child and
Woman Abuse Studies Unit
This paper is an overview of the work and perspective of CWASU between 1987 and 1997.
It has involved much summarising and selection, and inevitably means some areas have
been neglected, others emphasised. Rather than offer a bland outline of the work that has
been undertaken, Liz Kelly, Linda Regan and Sheila Burton have chosen to use this
opportunity to reflect on and analyse the contribution of CWASU to feminist approaches
violence against women and children.
Presented by Liz Kelly at The Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit Tenth Anniversary
Event, University of North London, 1997.
Also published in The British Journal of Social Work, 1998, 28, 601-613.
From Marginal to Globalised Issue: Three Decades of Research and Activism on Violence
Against Women
This is the text of Liz Kelly's 'Inaugural ', given at the (then) University of North London on
July 4th 2001. It comprises a personal reflection on a history of visionary activism and
engaged social research - three decades representing her feminist biography and the latter
two her career in research. The lecture is in four parts, including: a brief overview of the
three decades and the links with globalisation; how the work of CWASU is located within this;
some shifts in her own thinking over the three decades, and the challenges for the future.
Presented by Liz Kelly at her Inaugural , University of North London, July 2001.
This is the text of a speech given by Sarah Nelson reflecting on the fact that few people among the
caring professions genuinely seem to believe that child sexual abuse can be prevented, or at least that
its incidence can be significantly reduced.
Presented by Sarah Nelson at the Open Secret Conference, September 2002 and X Party
Group on Men's Violence against women and Children, October 2002.
This is Chapter Seven of Jan Jordan's, PhD Thesis True 'Lies' and False 'Truths': Women,
Rape and the Police, submitted to the Victoria University of Wellington in 2001, which
addresses the issue of false allegations of rape.