A clinical-theological guide.
Content note
This guide discusses childhood sexual abuse by a parent and the clinical and theological considerations involved in decisions about ongoing contact with that parent. The material is written plainly and may be distressing. Please read with care, and stop if you need to.
Not a substitute for direct clinical consultation.
This guide is a reflective, educational resource produced in response to a specific request, shaped by conversations with clinicians already attached to the situation. It is intended to inform and to accompany professional care, not to replace it. Reading this guide does not create a therapeutic relationship.
If you have questions about how any of this applies to your circumstances, or if you would like someone to think through it with you, please reach out directly.
What's inside
This guide considers a specific and painful question: when a parent has committed sexual abuse against their child, what does ongoing relationship — if any — look like? It is written for survivors weighing their own choices, for family members trying to think clearly through pressure and loyalty, and for clinicians and caregivers accompanying them.
It holds two registers together. The clinical register draws on trauma-informed practice: what we know about harm, honoured boundaries, re-traumatization, and the conditions under which contact can be safe or unsafe. The theological register engages Islamic ethical sources on parental rights, justice, the limits of obedience, and the moral gravity of abuse — without collapsing either tradition into the other.
The guide is not prescriptive. It does not tell readers what to do. It lays out the considerations carefully so that whatever decision is made can be made with clearer sight.
The full guide is typeset in EB Garamond and runs approximately 30 pages. Open it in the browser, or download a PDF to read offline or share with a clinician.