Visiting researcher profile: Miriam Mei-Lin Liu
Miriam Mei-Lin Liu is a Professor of Social Work, based in SooChow University, Taiwan. Her work centres on sexual violence and child sexual abuse/exploitation. During May-June 2023, Miriam Mei-Lin Liu is a visiting researcher at the Centre for Gender Research.
Miriam Mei-Lin Liu / Photo: Wang Hsiao-Chi
My main areas of research are sexual violence and child sexual abuse/exploitation. In recent years, my research has primarily centred on issues of technology and sexual violence, such as online grooming (OG), child sexual abuse/exploitation material (CSAM/CSEM) and non-consensual intimate image (NCII) abuse.
Before my PhD I was a government social work supervisor, focusing on domestic violence and sexual assault for a number of years. During this time I was also in charge of a residential care facility for children who have been sexually abused and exploited. My PhD project focused on issues of father-daughter incest, centering on the perceptions of social work professionals and counsellors involved in incest intervention in Taiwan. After my PhD in the UK, I joined the SooChow University of Taiwan and the Department of Social Work in 2008. I was promoted to Professor in 2021.
At my home institution, I teach BA courses on social casework theory and practice as well as on social work from a gender perspective. I also teach on studies in sexual violence as gender-based violence at the MA level.
Selection of publications
- Liu, M. L. (2021). Online sexual grooming: Challenges of child image-based sexual exploitation (IBSE). Journal of Contemporary Social Work, 11, 1-31.
- Liu, M. L. & Luo, T. C. (2020). Is digital footprint a matter? The incident of South Korea’s “Nth room” - Reflections on the situations and countermeasures of online child sexual exploitation prevention system in Taiwan. Providence Studies on Humanities and Social Sciences, 14(3), 53-85.
- Liu, M. L. (2019). Walking into a private room - A systematic literature review of definitions, prevalence, and challenges of intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV). Soochow Journal of Social Work, 37, 87-118.