Dramatising a contemporary childhood sexual abuse narrative: Reinforcing a hierarchy of victims
Abstract
Following a number of high-profile sexual exploitation/grooming
cases, such as that which culminated in the trial of nine men in
Rochdale, UK in 2012, and accusations against Jimmy Savile and
other celebrity figures, the sexual abuse of children has been
recognised as an issue of major public concern. These cases
received considerable news coverage, but there has also been
a proliferation of dramas covering both “real life” events and fictional stories. In this article I take a narrative approach to explore
the construction of victims in two such dramas both aired on UK
television in 2017 and later broadcast worldwide: Three Girls,
a docudrama based on the Rochdale case, and Unforgotten,
a fictional drama that resonates with the Savile case. In drawing
on a singular narrative of childhood sexual abuse and the ideal
victim these dramas, I argue, leave many stories untold, and help to
consolidate a new victim hierarchy—based not on what is done to
a person, but on who they are or might (have) become. The dangers
of this or any other singular story, I argue, go beyond the UK
context of these two dramas.
Description
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Article
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Keywords
child sexual abuse, media, United Kingdom, International Resources, historic sexual abuse, narrative frameworks
Citation
Woodiwiss, J. (2022). Dramatising a contemporary childhood sexual abuse narrative: reinforcing a hierarchy of victims. Feminist Media Studies, 1-16.