The extent and nature of organised and ritual abuse : research findings

Although the problem of organized abuse in England and Wales is relatively small, and the number of cases in which ritual/satanic abuse is alleged accounts for less than 10% of this minority of cases, it is an issue which arouses much public controversy.

Claims made by victims of sexual abuse that they had been subjected to bizarre rites such as witchcraft, satanism or devil-worship have been strongly contested by a variety of persons and groups, whose sceptism derives from a range of different perspectives on the problem.

The findings of this study conclude that there is no evidence to support allegations that rites directed to a magical or religious objective had taken place in any of the 84 cases studied.