Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty last week of helping late financier and ex-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. She pleaded not guilty and was convicted on five of six counts, including the most serious charge, sex trafficking a minor. Maxwell faces up to 65 years in prison, as well as a forthcoming criminal trial for perjury.
The four women who testified in the sex trafficking trial were between the ages of 14 and 17 when the sexual abuse occurred more than a decade ago. The case speaks to the sad reality that sexual predation is not a phenomenon isolated to men, yet much of the awareness and discussion around sexual victimization today focuses on male perpetrators.
Although I can’t speak to the specifics of Maxwell’s case, I will draw on available research and my previous experience working with sexual offenders. While most sex offenders are indeed male, an estimated 5% are female. It’s important to note that these statistics suffer from reporting bias in that victims of female perpetrators are less likely to report such crimes and are not taken as seriously if they do. Even when female offenders are convicted of a sex crime, they tend to receive shorter sentences than males.
To prevent future victimization, we must understand what is driving these behaviors. Regardless of whether the perpetrator is male or female, sexual abuse cannot be adequately understood or explained by trendy explanations about “power.”
When men sexually offend, it is typically with the goal of obtaining the type of sex or partner they desire. Among convicted sex offenders, a sizable proportion have a preference for nonconsensual sex. When women sexually offend, however, it is usually for the purpose of pleasing a male partner. In some cases, they will abuse their own children, and they can be more manipulative and predatory than the man.
Because society generally views women as nurturing and safer than men, their grooming behaviors are more easily camouflaged. Sex traffickers are finely attuned to what to look for when recruiting potential victims. They will approach children at school or in public places, preying on those in need of financial help and who have histories of abuse and neglect by offering opportunities, love, and friendship.
Adults should be vigilant for telltale signs, including unexplained absences from school, expensive gifts, and individuals wishing to spend unsupervised time with a minor. In the digital age, caregivers should also be monitoring a child’s activity online.
Dr. Debra Soh is a sex neuroscientist, the host of The Dr. Debra Soh Podcast, and the author of The End of Gender: Debunking the Myths About Sex and Identity in Our Society.
