Heteropatriarchy and Child Sexual Abuse: Contemplating Profeminist Practice with Men Victim-Survivors

There is a growing recognition within research literature on child sexual abuse (CSA) globally that the experiences of men and boy victim-survivors are profoundly gendered and steeped in oppressive structures of Patriarchy and heteronormativity. Despite this growing awareness, there is little guidance on (pro)feminist social work practice with men victim-survivors in ways that create opportunities for men victim-survivors to address their abuse experiences and challenge heteropatriarchy through developing profeminist subject positions. The transformative potential of such opportunities can only be realized if these practices are attentive to the Intersectionality of power and oppression, particularly in relation to making whiteness visible and addressing racism. In this chapter, the authors propose some initial thoughts on the topic of profeminism as a constructive space for social work practice with men victim-survivors of CSA. Some potential challenges that accompany these ideas are also discussed.