Loss of Innocence In the United States, the numbers of sexual abuse offenses are alarmingly high. In 2008, the US Department of Health and Human Resources stated that nearly eighty thousand American children were victims of sexual abuse in 2006 (Horner 358). As a society we expect child sexual predators to be obvious, scary looking, someone whom can be easily seen, or someone that we do not know. The truth is the child sexual predators come in all forms; there is no bias to age, race or gender. They can be any person we see on the street, a teacher, a police officer, a business man, a family man or even a pastor. Predators gain their power through manipulation and secrecy because of this; effective communication and education are a parent’s first line of defense in protecting our children. In an effort to try to protect our children, parents need to understand the different definitions associated with child sexual abuse. Depending on which journal or book we read there are slightly different variations of defining child sexual abuse or molestation. According to Kinnear, most experts agree on certain elements of the definition: “exploitation, the use of coercion, and a level of gratification gained by the predator” (2). Lurigio, Jones and Smith claimed that, “child sexual abuse is sexual behavior between children and adults with or without coercion or force.” Child sexual predators are typically adults whose desires, fantasies, and behaviors are directed, toward children too young to give informed consent (Lurigio, Jones and Smith 69). Horner’s description of sexual abuse is defined as, “any sexual conduct or contact of an adult or significantly older child with a child for purposes of the sexual gratification of the p... ... middle of paper ... ...ly, parents are the first line of defense against sexual predators and the best chance children have against becoming victims of child sexual abuse. Works Cited Child Sexual Abuse. National Center For Victims of Crime, 2008. Web. 29 Apr. 2011. Horner, Gail. “Child Sexual Abuse: Consequences and Implications.” Journal of Pediatric Health Care 24.6 (2010): 358-364. Web. 21 Apr. 2011. Kinnear, Karen. Childhood Sexual Abuse. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 1995. Print. Lurigio, et al. "Child Sexual Abuse: Its Causes, Consequences, and Implications For Probation Practice." Federal Probation Sept. 1995: 69-76. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. “Nicole B.Bromley story Pt.1 Topic: Childhood Sexual Abuse.” Youtube.com. Web. 22 Apr. 2011. Wetzstein, Cheryl, et al. Child Sexual Abuse. San Diego: Greenhave Press Inc., 1998. Print. Whitchurch, Sarah. Personal Interview. 27 Apr. 2011
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).
Child sexual abuse is defined as “the involvement of a child in sexual activity that he or she does not fully comprehend, is unable to give informed consent to, or for which the child is not developmentally prepared, or else that violates the laws or social taboos of society” (Ajduković, Sušac, and Rajter 470). In Bastard out of Carolina, Ruth Ann “Bone” Boatwright started experiencing sexual child abuse from her stepfather at the age of twelve, which changed aspects of her life forever. Coincidentally, it was proven through research that young girls between the ages of 13 and 16 suffered sexual abuse by adult men that they knew previously (Ajduković, Sušac, and Rajter 475). While it could be a family member, an acquaintance, or a friend, the feelings of betrayal remain the same.
"Understanding Child Sexual Abuse: Education, Prevention and Recovery." Http://www.apa.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.
Finkelhor, D., Hotaling, G., Lewis, I., & Smith, C. (1990). Sexual abuse in a national survey of
The term sex offender is generically used to describe someone who has been convicted of crimes involving sex, and these crimes include rape, molestation, sexual harassment, and pornography production and distribution. A sexual offender usually differs from a sexual predator because sexual predators usually seek to obtain sexual contact with another person in a methodically “predatory” manner. There are also pedophiles, and they are a categorically distinct form of sexual offenders, as their crimes are geared toward children. Also, they are considered to be sexual deviants. Pedophilia itself is defined as “a sexual perversion in which children are the preferred sexual object.” There has been many cases in the news about pedophiles and pedophilia. In Canada, there was Cecilia Zhang, who was kidnapped and murdered by Min Chen, a Chinese national who was in the country as a student. More recently, in the United States, Ariel Castro was convicted of kidnapping and raping three young girls; Georgina “Gina” DeJesus, Amanda Berry, and Michelle Knight. How can we explain pedophilic tendencies? Are pedophiles born that way or are they conditioned to be that way? There is no definite answer, but there are arguments to support both sides of this statement. This essay seeks to demonstrate that there are both biological and environmental factors that can influence a pedophile’s behaviour, and there are various ways in which they are assessed and treated.
...hor, D. (1986). Impact of child sexual abuse: A review of the research. Psychological Bulletin, 99(1), 66-77. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.99.1.66
Based on an article by the National Alert Registry by Dr. Herbert Wagemaker, four percent of the population suffers from sexual orientation toward children. In 1999, 93,000 kids were sexually abused. 50% of the abusers were parents of th...
In today’s society, juveniles that commit a sexual assault have become the subject of society. It’s become a problem in the United States due to the rise of sexual offenses committed by juveniles. The general public attitude towards sex offenders appears to be highly negative (Valliant, Furac, & Antonowicz, 1994). The public reactions in the past years have shaped policy on legal approaches to managing sexual offenses. The policies have included severe sentencing laws, sex offender registry, and civil commitment as a sexually violent predator (Quinn, Forsyth, & Mullen-Quinn, 2004). This is despite recidivism data suggesting that a relatively small group of juvenile offenders commit repeat sexual assaults after a response to their sexual offending (Righthand &Welch, 2004).
Salter, Anna C. (2004). Predators: pedophiles, rapists, & other sex offenders: Who they are and how they operate, and how we can protect ourselves and our children. New York, NY: Basic Books.
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
Zieve, David, Juhn, Greg, and Eltz, David R. "Child Abuse-Sexual." New York Times. N.p., 13 Oct. 2008. Web. 12 Jan. 2014.
[9] Sgroi, Suzanne M. Handbook of Clinical intervention in Child Sexual Abuse. Lexington Books, Toronto, 1982. 9.
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
When someone is young they are unaware of some of their decisions and are unaware of the things that will scar them for the rest of their lives. In the article by Margo Kaplan, she discusses what pedophilia actually is, the laws that are currently in place, and how a child’s wellbeing is at risk. This article is highly credible considering that the author is a well-known researcher in the field of criminal law with a concentration in sexual crimes. Pedophilia’s recursive nature is to perform harmful acts to children; while pedophiles can put a child in the physical harm they are also prone to psychological harm (Kaplan 43). Kids are the main victims of these heinous acts, but there is no precaution to those that cause the harm resulting in them hurting more children than necessary in the process. While the following article is not that credible seeing that there is no clear citing from where they acquired their research, they were able to assemble a valid point about pedophiles going against a kid’s desire (Duke 5). According to the author, Judith Levine, in the same article, parents have the proper say about whether a child is being molested or not. While this relates to the previous article by Kaplan, it does so in the nature that puts the
Widom, Cathy S. "Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse: Later Criminal Consequences." Trooper (March 1995): 1-8. NCJRS. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.