ADULT INCEST

Adult Incest

Table of Contents

Definition1

Prevalence1

Occurrence of Adult Incest2

Effects of Adult Incest3

Response to Adult Incest4

Adult Incest in religion4

Legalization and prohibition of adult incest5

Sexual Offences Act 20036

Legalization of adult incest6

Prohibition of incest and the taboo associated with incest7

Adult incest criminal in international comparative law9

Prohibition of Adult Incest10

Justification of the Adult incest Criminalization11

Application of ethical arguments on adults12

Incest is not very serious, while it remains in the family13

Marcuse (1923) Study15

References17

Adult Incest

Definition

The definitions of incest vary. However, the term incest is generally defined as any sexual contact (e.g., touching, fondling, oral sex, verbal seduction or abuse, and/or intercourse) between closely related persons (often within the immediate family) in which an adult coerces his or her fellow being (family or close friend). Under this definition, incest includes father—daughter, stepfather—daughter, mother—son, stepmother—son, sibling—sibling, and extended family—Adult incest. The majority of reported incidents of incest occur between fathers and daughters and stepfathers and daughters (however, it believed the true rate of sibling incest underreported). Based on the majority of the information currently available, the most often discussed incidents of incest are those between a paternal figure (e.g., father or stepfather) and another adult, thus this entry sometimes refers to the perpetrator of incest as male (Walter, 1999, pp. 121).

Prevalence

Determining the number of incidents of Adult incest within the United States is a difficult task. This void in information can be attributed to a number of different factors, the most significant of which is that incest remains highly underreported (Callaghan, 2003, pp. 11). Victims of incest are extremely reluctant to reveal the abuse occurring against them because of fear, shame, and blame. Nevertheless, incest has yet been cited as the most common form of sexual abuse. In addition to being severely underreported, accurate rates of incest are also difficult to ascertain due to differences in definitions and methods of data collection and sampling. To the detriment of investigations of the prevalence of incest, research often fails to distinguish between familial sexual abuse and non familial sexual abuse. Thus, though there is not an accurate prevalence rate for incidents of Adult incest, it is recognized that this is a significant crime that needs significant attention (Sam, 1993, pp. 150).

Occurrence of Adult Incest

Incidents of Adult incest occur when someone uses a position of power, emotional manipulation, and threats to achieve the goal of sexual satisfaction. Incidents of Adult incest often do not include physical force or coercion; however, the perpetrator's use of verbal threats is a common strategy used to coerce the Adult into committing the desired behaviours. Using verbal threats allows the perpetrator to guarantee the silence and compliance of the Adult victim. This manipulation may include threats of the family division or dissolution and/or termination of the relationship between the victim and perpetrator, and it often evokes personal shame or blame in the victim (Bear, 1988, pp. 32). In addition, the perpetrator may threaten to harm himself, the adult victim, or other family members if the acts of incest are revealed or ...