Marginalized Victims of Sexual Abuse and the Law

This book grounds its analysis in the lived experiences of victims who are both legally and socially marginalized within legal proceedings. These victims include, but are not limited to, sex workers—who are frequently subjected to sexual abuse yet rarely obtain legal redress; adults abused by individuals occupying informal positions of spiritual authority; and corpses subjected to sexual acts. Such victim groups often encounter heightened skepticism, diminished credibility, or outright exclusion within criminal justice processes, raising serious concerns about the inclusivity and fairness of legal responses to sexual violence. The book offers detailed analyses of the crimes, victims, and offenders involved in these forms of sexual abuse and seeks to identify the structural, systemic, and distinctive features that justify special legal recognition and treatment for victims who remain legally unaccounted for. Through case studies, victim profiles, legal analysis, and scholarly literature, the book demonstrates how high legal thresholds, stringent evidentiary standards, and entrenched social biases systematically prevent many victims from obtaining legal protection or recourse. Exposing the social and legal barriers that deny marginalized victims recognition and access to justice, the book will be a valuable resource for academics, researchers and policy-makers working in the areas of Criminology, Law, Sociology, Gender Studies, and Victimology.