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The impacts of child sexual abuse
The impacts of child sexual abuse
Child rape
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Child sexual abuse is an umbrella term describing offenses in which an adult engages in sexual activity with a minor or exploits a minor for the purpose of sexual gratification (NSPCC, 2016). The American Psychiatric Association states that "children cannot consent to sexual activity with adults," and condemns any such action by an adult as "a criminal and immoral act which never can be considered normal or socially acceptable behaviour" (American Psychological Association, 2016). Only at the beginning of the 1900s did Western society begin to value children as persons who’s "creative and intellectual potential require fostering" rather than "cheap labour" (Heller, 2012).
The 1874 case of Mary Ellen Wilson (McCormack) was unfortunately the face of child abuse. Her story began the fight against child abuse, and neglect of children in the foster care system. Mary Ellen was orphaned as a baby, and sent to an orphanage on Blackwell Island. Thomas and Mary McCormack then adopted Mary Ellen a few years later; however Thomas died shortly after the adoption and Mary remarried Francis Connolly. After the death of Mary Husband, Mary the adoptive mother took to abusing and beating her adoptive daughter. Although Mary Ellen was apart of the foster care system once she was adopted her case manager no longer check on the case. In 1873 the poorly beaten Mary Ellen attracted attention from her neighbors whom noticed the young
Pedophiles are men whose sexual wishes and desires for relationship bonds and love are focused either primarily or exclusively on children who have not reached puberty, whereby the relative importance of each of these three areas—sexuality, relationship, and love— may vary, as it does with other people as well. (Schmidt 473)
The term child abuse was once as rarely heard as that of pink elephants. However rare the term has once been, it is now a term used consistently throughout the news and various other publications today. Along with the progressing decline in society's morals, has come the rapid increase of crime. One such crime is child abuse. Although child abuse is common, the act is defiling. As a result of the abuse, children who fall victim to this often need psychological treatment and counseling. Often, the child is never the same as he or she once was before. The dictionary defines child abuse as: "the physical, or emotional, or sexual mistreatment of children" (Dictionary.com). Everyday thousands of children are the victims of this abuse. The abusers range from parents, friends, total strangers, to even day-care workers.
Within the last few decades there has been an increase in public awareness concerning child sexual abuse. Child abuse is defined as intentional acts that result in physical or emotional harming. However most people don’t understand that there are different forms a child abuse; they include physical, neglect, and sexual abuse. Child abuse is widespread, one that most topics people would rather not think about. For the longest time individuals have been in denial because it’s easier when everyone believes that they live in a perfect world.
The case of Mary Ellen, an abused child in the late 1800s, exposed a need for the protection of children from abuse. Etta Wheeler was a friendly visitor to the foster parents of Mary Ellen where she saw the evidence of abuse being inflicted on the young girl. There were no laws in place at that time to protect children, but there were laws now for animals since 1866. Consequently, Etta sought out Henry Bergh and after taking the case to court helped to form the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Laws to protect animals from abuse came before those to protect children. Henry Bergh was a champion for both.
One of the most hated, reviled, and public enraging individuals in society is a pedophile. Most equate pedophilia with a sexual molester of children or some sort of perverted freak. There is considerable misunderstanding about pedophilia. In a 1990 research study, the authors state “there is widespread belief among professionals the general public that sexual abuse causes sexual abuse.” The theory is referred to as “abused/abuser hypothesis of child and adolescent sexual abuse” (Garland & Dougher, 1990, p. 448). Fact is the face of a pedophile is not some monster lurking in our neighborhoods ready to pounce on the first child available. He is not necessarily a “dirty old man” either. A pedophile could be anyone: a next door neighbor, a lawyer, school teacher or a relative (Wylie, 1998). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) categorizes pedophilia as a disorder only if the sexual fantasies or urges involve prepubescent children , if they last at least six months, if the individual has acted on them, or if they cause marked distress” (American Psychiatric Association, 2000).
Block, Sharon. Rape and Sexual Power in Early America. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2006.
Approximately 5 children a day die from child abuse. Child abuse causes many problems for not only the child but the family involved as well. This is why child abuse must stop not just locally but around the world.
Cristian experienced physical and sexual abuse on his own behalf and his mother’s behalf, which resulted in the divorce between his parents. His older half-brother committed his own sexual abuse when he was young as well. Although Cristian has not expressed what his old half-brother had told him during the abuse, this could be a reason as to why he then acted out on his own stepsiblings. Cristian also presents with a lot of anger, he had a history of being violent at school. Now at his placement site he is having behavioral issues with the staff and with other clients as well. Two relevant dimensions of assessment would be boundaries and the establishment of future goals in the family. Cristian had mentioned that he is currently in family therapy
“The worst part about being abused is the betrayal, the one who should have protected you was the one who harmed you.” Child abuse is a social issue that has been around for centuries. One of the most common forms is physical abuse, which is when an adult harms a child. Present day child abuse and child abuse in the Victorian Era are alike in multiple ways but different in others. In the 1800’s child abuse was when an adult physically harmed a child and was not persecuted.
Child abuse, while having many different forms and levels of severity, can be basically defined as the maltreatment of a child by a parent or other adult. When one thinks of child abuse, usually the first thing that comes to mind is physical harm, but the issue is actually much more complex. The abuse of a child can also be manifested in verbal and emotional forms, as well as in sexual molestation. All forms of child abuse generally result in similar emotional disorders and behavioral issues, but the major consequences of sexual abuse, such as mental or emotional scarring, promiscuity, and the tendency of former victims to become sexual abusers, cause it to be the most severely damaging form of child abuse.
“Some offenders pin sexual access to the child through a combination of enticement and deception” (Handout). However, there are many factors that induce these criminals that create such a harsh type of crime. One of them being, some of these offenders grow up with parents who struggle with substance abuse and in an abusive home. Scott from the reading is an example of a child molester and realized they are not attracted to adults, but rather “turned on” to boys of 10 to 12 years old. Child molesters are sexually attracted to non sexual people, which are young children.
While sexual abuse encompasses a wide array of acts, the sexual abuse of a child may be defined as a minor who is used for some degree of sexual stimulation (Babchishin, Hanson, & Hermann, 2011). The sexual abuse of a child falls into the broader category of child abuse, alongside the categories of physical abuse, emotional abuse, and child neglect. While not all forms of child sexual abuse require physical contact to occur, there is a physical aspect involved in the commission of many sex crimes against a child. Regardless, a child may experience lasting trauma after becoming a victim of sexual abuse. More often than not, a child is victimized for sexual stimulation by an individual they knew prior to the assault taking place.
“Child abuse casts a shadow the length of a lifetime. ”-Herbert Ward. Child abuse is the maltreatment of a child, whether it is emotional, physical, or verbal. Close to half of the youth population, as the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports, are victims of child abuse. Child abuse in the Victorian Era and in the present are similar in neglect and physical, and verbal abuse, but now there are more laws in place with much larger consequences that differentiate the time periods.
Pedophilia, which is defined as the sexual attraction to children who have not yet reached puberty, remains a vexing challenge for both clinicians and public officials. Part of this challenge stems from the fact that not all pedophiles are child molesters (or vice versa). Child molesters are defined by their sexual actions to children, whereas pedophiles are defined by their sexual desires for children. Essentially, one can be a pedophile without ever coming in contact with a child, and likewise, acts of sexual abuse can be committed by ordinary people not generally attracted to children. This topic brings up the question of whether pedophilia should be considered a legal issue or a mental health issue. Yes, the acts pedophiles commit on children