Sexuality, Violence and Psychological Sequelae

By Michael C. Baurmann

This is the largest study of sexual abuse ever done. The report is much longer than most non-scholars would want to read. The "final conclusions" section, however, is enlightening. In it he states that "Looking at the effects of criminal sexual acts on the declared victims, it turned out that many reported sexual contacts caused no harm at all." (pg. 469). In this section he also brings into question the current practice of treating all sex offenders as a single monolithic group, all of whom share many characteristics with the most violent rapists. In addition, his discussion of the "secondary harm" caused by the reactions of society is edifying.

The entire study translated into English can be found here.