First off, I want to commend you for seeking advice. Today it is very common for sexual abuse and neglect to go unreported. You have a very serious situation on your hands. You had very good intentions for taking in your nephew. There are many situations where this doesn’t happen. To answer your question, yes you should be very concerned that your nephew can possibly be sexually abusing your daughters. It is not normal for a 5 year old to be playing in that manner. There is not 100% certainty that they are being sexually abused, but the signs do point in that direction. There are many forms of sexual abuse. This includes sexual penetration, sexual touching, and non-contact sexual acts (Myers, 2011, pg. 215). The APSAC Handbook on Child Maltreatment …show more content…
215). In the case of your daughters, this sounds very similar to what can be happening. This also brings up concern for your nephew, in many cases sexual abuse is learned. Given your nephews background there is a possibility that he himself was sexually abused as a young child. You are the caretaker and protector not only for your daughters, but as well your nephew. I would advise you to reflect and see if your daughters are in immediate life threatening danger. If they are, then they should have zero contact from your nephew. Right now at this point I would make sure that your daughters are never left alone with your nephew. If you feel that your daughters are not in a life threating situation, I would advise you not to kick him out or suspend your parental privileges. This can possibly make things worse. All this will do is move the problem to a new home. Your nephew needs help, and you are the one that can get him this help. There are many programs that offer support and counseling for children who have suffered from sexual abuse and who commit sexual abuse. I would say to first start with the schools. There are many schools that offer these programs and if not they can usually refer you to
Sedlak, A.J. (February, 2001). A history of the National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and
It has been around six years since Brandon exposed that his biological father had continually sexually abused him between the ages 4-6 years old. Brandon is a 12 year old Caucasian American preteen. His mother is concerned that he will become a violent sexual offender if he does not get the help that he needs. Brandon’s mother also noted that his use of sexual language was likely the start of sexual behavior problems.
The effects of childhood sexual abuse carry on with the children forever. To what extent and to what effect does abuse have on children during adulthood? What are the main issues that adults have been abused suffer from in adulthood? Do they have more of a physical issue with preforming with their partner in the bedroom or do they have more of a mental block due to their trauma? The world had been asking these questions for far too long and we need answers on how helping the children of our world. The questions that have been stated have been answered through the two articles that will be summarized below.
The importance of growing up in today’s society and being educated about sexual abuse is an important aspect of knowledge everyone should have. Many parents also do not recognize the warning signs from their children early on to prevent them from turning into something bigger.
According to The Beaufort Gazette in Beaufort, SC, “A couple in Boise, Idaho now faces criminal charges because their 10- and 12-year old sons sexually molested three of their younger siblings, starting when one of the children was just one month old.” The report goes on to say, “Prosecutors said one girl was just 2 years old when the abuse started in October 2002. The other girl was less than 8 months old. The sexual abuse of the boy allegedly began in December 2002, when he was just one month old.”
... law enforcement and legal counsel will be involved. It may also be necessary to contact a child psychologist or other therapist to assist.
I have been seeing my 15-year-old client, Alicia, for some time now. She reports that she was a foster child after both of her parents were incarcerated for drug and child abuse. She is currently living with her maternal grandparents but has disclosed that when she was in the foster system she was sexually molested. Alicia has been slow-to-warm but it appears that we are establishing rapport as she is beginning to show more positive affect. Nevertheless, in our most recent session, Alicia appeared to be “high” and disclosed that her uncle has returned from war and is staying with her and her grandparent. Alicia reported that he has been molesting her and that despite this she has does not want to go back into the foster system but only told be to tell someone safe.
Walsh, J., & Krienert, J. (2011). Sibling Sexual Abuse: an empirical analysis of offender, victim, and event characteristics in nation incident-based reporting system (NIBRS) data 2000-2007. Child Sexual Abuse, 353-370.
The National Center on Sexual Behavior of Youth at the Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, Initials. (2003). what research shows about. Unpublished manuscript, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, The University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Retrieved from ncsby.org
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 3.3 million referrals for alleged maltreatment were made in 2013. Out of the 3.3 million referrals, 899,000 children were officially documented as being maltreated(Child Abuse & Neglect 2015). Child abuse is the mistreatment of a child. Child abuse is recognized in several forms; physical, emotional, sexual and neglect. Children who experience any form of abuse will tend to withdraw themselves from their peers and sometimes from other family members who are not aware of what is taking place. Child abuse occurs not just in the homes of these children, but can also occur in schools, churches and after school programs. Anywhere a child is present there is a chance that abuse can occur. This paper will review the forms of child abuse, the effects of child abuse, reasons child abuse occurs and possible therapies to bring healing in the parties involved.
Childhood sexual abuse, as defined by the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA, 1996), includes using persuasion, enticement, and other inducements to coerce a child to engage in sexually explicit conduct or simulation of sexual acts. Survivors of sexual abuse frequently have a legacy of both psychological and physical problem throughout life. There has been considerable literature published in the past 20 years focusing on the long-term consequences of childhood sexual abuse.
An estimated 39 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse exist in America today (Darness2Light, 2009a ). This figure continues to grow daily as perpetrators of this crime continue in this destructive path. The definition of child sexual abuse is the force, coercion, or cajoling of children into sexual activities by a dominant adult or adolescent. Sexual abuse of children includes touching (physical) sexually including: fondling; penetration (vaginal or anal using fingers, foreign objects or offenders organs; oral sex, or non-physical contact including: sexual comments; indecent exposures; masturbating in a child’s presence; child prostitution or child pornography (Child Welfare, 2009a).
This paper outlines the consequences of child sexual abuse (CSA) based on the examination of results from multiple researches previously fulfilled concerning the psychological and physical impact of this crime, information of statistics, warning signs detected, victims’ performances, and emotional state. Sexual abuse causes severe trauma on child victims that will last for the course of their lives, therefore it is critical to identify and improve the therapeutic methods utilized to treat CSA survivors.
Child maltreatment is a widespread issue that affects thousands of children every year. There are four common types of child maltreatment: sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. All of these types of abuse are very serious and can have many consequences for the children and families. The most common consequence of severe child maltreatment is the removal of that child from their home (Benbenishty, Segev, Surkis, and Elias, 2002). Most social workers trying to determine the likelihood of removal evaluate the type and severity of abuse, as well as the child’s relationship with their parents (Benbenishty et al., 2002).
It is most important to understand that children and teens of all racial, religious, ethnic, gender and age groups, at all socio-economic levels are sexually abused. Although there are risk factors that may increase the possibility of sexual abuse, sex abuse can be found in all types of families, communities, and cultures (The Scope of, 2016). Childhood sexual abuse is an important issue to address because the impact of sexual does not end when the abuse ends. Childhood trauma follows into adulthood and can have long-range effects. “Survivors of sexual abuse are at significantly greater risks for severe and chronic mental health issues, including alcoholism, depression, anxiety, PTSD and high risk behaviors” (The Scope Of, 2016). Victims may experience traumatic sexualization, or the shaping of their sexuality in “developmentally inappropriate” and “interpersonally dysfunctional” ways (Effects of Child, 2012). “A child who is the victim of prolonged sexual abuse usually develops low self-esteem, a feeling of worthlessness and an abnormal or distorted view of sex. The child may become withdrawn and mistrustful of adults, and can become suicidal” (Effects of Child, 2012). Overall, the effects and impact of childhood sexual abuse are long lasting and do not diminish when the abuse ends, their childhood trauma follows them into