AUSTRALIA
The Australian
Natalie O'Brien
March 07, 2006
SEXUAL abuse by women is a bigger problem than previously thought, and nuns and nannies are among the female pedophiles who have preyed on the children in their care.
Women are responsible for 6 per cent of all reported cases of sexual abuse, a study by Child Wise, the nation's peak child protection group, has shown.
And much of the abuse occurs while the women are acting in positions of authority.
Child Wise national program manager Karen Flanagan said that while there was no definitive profile of female abusers, those known to have molested children included babysitters, nannies, nuns and teachers.
"It is fact of life that women have easy and open access to children all the time," she said.