“Victim-Perpetrator Reconciliation”

Source: (1997) VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN. 3(5): 515-532

Reconciliation between incest perpetrator and victim is rarely noted in the literature. The authors report their work with an uncle and niece who were able to reconcile many years after the incest had occurred. The niece entered treatment and initiated the confrontation and eventual reconciliation with her uncle. Only because he acknowledged the incest and his responsibility for it was reconciliation possible. Case histories, therapeutic issues, legal and ethical ramifications, and case management factors are presented. The authors offer this case history with the hope that their collaboration may generate some new ideas for others working toward reconciliation between victim and perpetrator. (author’s abstract)