Call for Papers

The past decade has witnessed growing concern over the problem of sexual violence and abuse occurring within youth-serving organizations, religious institutions, K-12 and post-secondary educational settings, military agencies, workplaces, and other organizational venues. Amid considerable media and public scrutiny, institutions have been called upon to improve their responses to sexual abuse incidents, address underlying organizational conditions that may foster such incidents, and develop viable systems of early intervention and prevention. These challenges, in turn, have produced growing demand for high-quality research that can refine our understanding of the correlates and dynamics of sexual abuse within institutional settings, and can help identify the parameters of effective strategies and responses. This special issue of Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment aims to advance the base of knowledge in this vital area of policy and practice, featuring emerging scholarship focused on sexual violence and abuse within organizational settings. Specific areas of interest include (a) correlates and dynamics of sexual violence and abuse occurring within institutional and organizational settings; (b) institutional norms, values, management structures, and other organizational conditions that may be implicated in sexual violence and abuse; (c) perpetrators of sexual abuse within institutional and organizational settings, including work related to typology development, risk assessment, interdiction, and treatment; (d) analyses of victimization within the institutional and organizational context, including nature and scope of victimization, impact of abuse, and effects of institutional responses; (e) organizational responses to allegations or known incidents of sexual abuse and violence; and (f) promising practices related to sexual violence and abuse prevention within institutional and organizational contexts. Articles eligible for inclusion may be original empirical studies, critical analyses, program evaluations, or presentations of new conceptual frameworks. Articles involving international or cross-cultural comparative analyses are particularly welcome and encouraged. Manuscripts should be between 5,000 and 6,500 words, and adhere to SAJRT style guidelines.