Feminism and child abuse: opening up some possibilities

This article explores some of the issues raised by feminists who are engaging with the debates within postmodernism and poststructural ism. It specifically examines contributions in the areas of knowledge, gender and power. It then goes on to identify key debates within the field of gender and child abuse. It argues that areas of concern, cur rently, cohere around the kinds of theory required and how power and gender should be understood. The article explores some of the possibilities for theorising raised by the perspectives. It concludes with a brief look at some possible ways forward in relation to policy.