‘Preserving What for Whom?’ Female Victim/Survivor Perspectives on the Silence Behind Child Sexual Abuse in Britain’s South Asian Communities

Family and community relations matter to individuals—they are what makes us feel wanted and needed and what preoccupy much of our time, attention and energy. In some communities, this interconnectivity can be particularly intense; in South Asian communities, it can also be governed by influential constructs of shame and honour. In the context of child sexual abuse (CSA), this interconnectivity, twinned with embedded constructs of shame and honour, can lead to victims/survivors existing in a vacuum of secrecy, shame and solitude. Through individual guided conversations with 15 female victims/survivors of CSA from Britain’s Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani communities, this chapter provides rare insights into the experiences of this group of victims/survivors. Research on CSA in South Asian communities living in Britain is concerningly sparse, and this chapter makes an important contribution to addressing this gap.