In the early 1980s incest was ceasing to be a taboo subject. In Britain there was much conjecture but little knowledge about it, although some estimates suggested that as many as one child in ten would experience some form of sexual abuse within the family. Originally published in 1982, Jean Renvoize had travelled around the USA, where considerable attention had been paid to incest in the previous few years, meeting professionals ranging through paediatricians, policemen, university researchers, social workers, lawyers, and – more important – victims and abusers themselves.
This knowledge, added to the sparser British research, opened up a hitherto closed subject, bringing a wide range of controversial information to an audience composed of the general public as well as professionals involved in this field at the time. The author’s clear and easy style, which characterised her earlier books on related subjects – Children in Danger and Web of Violence – makes this a work of general as well as specialist interest.
Acknowledgments. Introduction. 1. Two Stories: A Daughter’s and a Father’s 2. What is Incest? 3. Incidence of Incest and How to Discover it 4. The Fathers 5. The Family 6. Incest Other than Father/Daughter 7. The Pro-Incest Lobby and the After-Effects of Incest 8. State Involvement 9. Collaboration and Treatment. Appendix. Bibliography. Index.
Biography
Jean Renvoize
Reviews for the original edition:
‘Jean Renvoize has written a very well researched book. For those people who need source material and information on new events in the field of treatment, here is an excellent reference book.’ – Erin Pizzey, New Society
‘This valuable book not only summarises what is known about a crime which is being increasingly recognised as common, but also points the way for society to deal with it more effectively. It should be read by psychiatrists, social workers, probation officers, magistrates, and judges; in fact, by all who are concerned in dealing with family problems, judicially or therapeutically.’ – Anthony Storr, Sunday Times
