Taboo and Secrecy

Taboo and Secrecy

Taboo and Secrecy, by Kameel Ahmady and colleagues, examines child sexual abuse in Iran, with particular attention to family and kinship relationships. It asks how dependence, unequal power and pressure to protect a family’s reputation can obstruct disclosure and support.

The book treats silence as a social and institutional issue. Its critique concerns the responsibilities of families, education, public institutions and support services, as well as the circumstances in which abuse remains hidden.

Qualitative research and its limits

The completed Farsi introduction links to a related methodological article describing a qualitative, grounded-theory approach, semi-structured interviews, purposive and snowball recruitment, and coding informed by Strauss and Corbin.

Read that methodological account with the book before interpreting figures. The charts describe the research sample; they do not establish national prevalence or, by themselves, prove causal relationships.

Dependence, reputation and disclosure

A child may depend on the same family environment for care, housing or security. Fear, threats and expectations of silence can make it difficult to describe abuse or seek help.

The author examines how prioritising reputation and resolving allegations privately can obstruct accountability. Responsibility for abuse rests with the perpetrator; a child’s silence or response should not be treated as consent or blame.

Consequences without stigma

The book considers reported effects on trust, safety, relationships and everyday life. Experiences and longer-term outcomes vary; they should not be collapsed into a single presumed trajectory.

A reported experience does not establish an identical pathway for everyone. Survivors’ rights to dignity and support do not depend on meeting an expected pattern of response or recovery.

Protection and institutional responsibility

The discussion places accessible support, safer disclosure and protection against further abuse alongside prevention and institutional accountability. Readers seeking broader evidence can consult WHO’s child-maltreatment overview.

The two original illustrations are retained below. They should be read as descriptions of this research, with their underlying definitions and sample limits.

Common questions

Do the charts show the prevalence of abuse across Iran?

They concern the study sample and should not be read as national rates.

Does childhood abuse determine a person’s later behaviour?

The introduction does not establish a fixed outcome for every survivor. Individual circumstances and access to support differ.

Where can I find available editions?

Use the access links above, checking the language, format and imprint of the file you choose. The title and page numbers in your citation should match that edition.

Related reading

• Child sexual abuse

Read the Farsi book introduction for the corresponding presentation and available material.

Research illustrations

These figures are reproduced from the study material. Read them with the publication’s methods and definitions; the images do not label their units or sample sizes.