Eleanor Craig

Profile

I completed my undergraduate degree in Sociology and Social Policy (International) at the University of Leeds in 2017, supported by a Lord Laidlaw Scholarship which allowed me to spend an extra year studying abroad at University College Utrecht in the Netherlands. I graduated from Leeds with a First-Class honours, being awarded the Wheelers Memorial Fund Prize for academic performance.

Staying on at the University of Leeds, funded by a Leeds Masters Scholarship and a Leeds Graduate Excellence Scholarship, I completed my MA in Social Research in 2018 with a Distinction. Following this, I worked as an Intelligence Analyst with the National Crime Agency, analysing both regional and national data on child criminal exploitation and presenting my findings in regular national meetings. 

In October 2019, I returned to the University of Leeds, having been offered an ESRC funded PhD in the Sociology and Social Policy department. I currently teach on the Understanding and Researching Contemporary Society Module. 

Research interests

My research interests focus on childhood abuse, sexual abuse, children’s studies, abuse and power, vulnerability, and gender inequalities. Throughout my time at Leeds I have explored these topics in my dissertations and I am continuing this commitment in my PhD research. My BA, MA and PhD research has all focussed on child sexual abuse and prevention. Child sexual abuse is a social issue which affects many children across the world, impacting not only their childhoods, but potentially having lasting affects throughout adulthood, too.

My PhD research aims to explore the sexual abuse of children and child sexual abuse prevention methods, drawing on victims’ and survivors’ experiences. I am looking to identify why child sexual abuse prevention methods are not working for some children and what can be done to increase their effectiveness. There is a considerable amount of research available exploring the efficacy of CSA prevention methods but little research involving actual victims’ and survivors’ perspectives on the subject, an omission which my research aims to rectify.

Qualifications

• BA Sociology and Social Policy (International)
• MA Social Research