Sexual abuse is any unwanted sexual activity, with perpetrators using force or taking advantage of victims. It is a problem for the whole community if it occurs for it effects everyone. Sexual abuse should be stopped by raising awareness because it should not be covered up, people who report sexual abuse are often stigmatized, which makes people scared to report sexual abuse. The stigma associated with sexual abuse should be lifted. Sexual abuse is also reffered to as molestation. It can also be reffered to as sexual assault when it is of short duration or infrequent. Female are the most common victims of sexual abuse. Although males are susceptable to it also. Sexual abuse is sometimes by a family member, which is a form of incest. Many sexual abuse experts say sexual abuse isn 't about sex at all, but rather the attempt to gain power over victims. One of the worst forms of sexual abuse is child sexual abuse. This is when an adult or older adolescent seeks sexual gratification from a child. This is an especially harmful form of sexual abuse because children are vulnerable and often don 't know how to report what has happened to them. About 20 percent of women and 8 percent of men have disclosed being sexually abused when they were children. This number may actually be higher because many people are unwilling to admit they …show more content…
As a member of the community, it 's important to be able to detect sexual abuse and report it to authorities. Some of the physical signs of sexual abuse may be difficulty walking or sitting, bloody or torn clothing, bleeding or bruising in the genital area, pain or itching in the genital area, or frequent urinary infections. Some of the behavioral signs may be deveopment of phobias, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, trouble in school, running away from home, having nightmares, bed-wetting, changes in hygiene, or any inappropriate sexual knowledge or
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).
Finkelhor, D., Hotaling, G., Lewis, I., & Smith, C. (1990). Sexual abuse in a national survey of
Child abuse is a serious crime, that if violated can come with many consequences, and rules. Reporting child abuse is a mandatory law enacted in 1978 (but amended many times) stating that people must report child abuse immediately1. This law was created to identify children that are victims of child abuse. Relating to the law the Department of Human Services has responsibility to access and investigate suspected child abuse. "Each year Department of Human Services investigators conduct 20,000 investigations involving 30,000 children (in the state of California).2" There are a lot of cases reported each year, involving innocent children, abused by their parents. Although there are thousands of cases reported each year, thousands go unreported. "Child abuse has serious consequences which may remain as indelible pain throughout the victims lifetime3" Child abuse can have permanent negative affects on the child, permanent affects that the child will never forget. The abuse can also bring a better side to the child, making the child wanting to be more independent. Child abuse is very common, and can affect any child of any race, color or religion.
Gender also plays a larger part in the effects of childhood sexual abuse. Boys are a bit more resilient to sexual abuse then girl. Yet, this stems from boy...
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.
Molestation is the first type of sexual abuse that’ll be discussed. Molestation is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Most people think sexual abusers are strangers to their victims. But the truth is most abusers know their victims and use their stand in their relationship to try to make the victims do what the abusers want them to do. Most children who get molest are by family members. “More than 90 percent of juvenile sexual abuse victims know their perpetrator in some way.” (Snyder, Howard). According to Dr. Elizabeth Forsyth and Margret Hyde, research done in the 1980s and 1990s suggests that almost all abusers are males who are known to their victims and that most abuse occurs within the family. (pg. 21) One in three girls and one in five boys get sexually abused before the age of eighteen. (Arta, C)
Many children who have experienced sexual abuse do not realize the impact it has on their lives. Children are afraid to break the silence about their sexual abuse and report it because of the reaction from parents, family members, or the fear of breaking up the family. Children keep quiet about their sexual abuse because of their involvement and fear of being rejected by others. Children may also keep silent due to the fear of their perpetrator or their perpetrator has trained the child to believe it was their fault. Many children who have never received the proper help will suffer with long lasting effects from sexual abuse. It is very important to counsel children who have been sexually abused at a young age. Sexual abuse can be very harmful in a child’s younger and adolescent years when developing in the ...
If you aren’t sure how far the abuse went, if it was mental, physical, or both, and how many times it occurred, you want to start compiling the case as quickly as possible. You will have to report the abuse to a local medical facility, and you’ll want to have the child physically examined. Not only should a physical examination take place, but the child should talk with a mental health professional as well. Here are a few of the common types of sexual molestation that take place in children.
There are different types of child abuse. One type is physical abuse. It involves the parent inflicting injuries to the child’s body. These injuries can include: bruises, burns, broken bones, head injuries and even injuries to internal organs (General Information about Child Abuse). As a result of physical abuse, children may be scared and shy when people approach them and try to touch them. Another sign that abused children might show can be them wearing long clothing in order to cover and hide their injuries (General Information about Child Abuse). They do this in order to prevent outside factors from asking them questions. The main sign of this kind of physical abuse that the parents or caregivers can show are anger problems or the excessive need for control.
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.
Sexual abuse includes any sexual act in which one person has not agreed to it. A woman can be sexually abused by means of, but not limited to force, coercion, blackmail, threat, or embarrassment. Sexual abuse may occur when a woman is forced to perform, watch, or in any other way engage in sexual acts. This includes but is not limited to vaginal, anal and oral sex, fondling, touching, disrespect of privacy, such as showering, being forced to watch pornography or view pornographic pictures, being forced into sexual poses, or being verbally abused in a sexual manner (Morris and Biehl 36, Haley 14).
Sexual assault is a term that is used interchangeably with the word rape. The decision on whether or not to use the term rape or sexual assault is made by a state’s jurisdiction. Sexual assault is more readily used in an attempt to be more gender neutral (National Victim Center). Sexual assault can be most easily described as forced or unconsentual sexual intercourse. The individual that is performing these acts on the victim may either be a stranger or an acquaintance. In 1994, 64.2 percent of all rapes were committed by someone the offender had previously known (Ringel, 1997). Regardless, this type of crime can have extreme effects on the victim.
Two of the most common forms of abuse in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood are intimate partner abuse and coerced sex. Intimate partner abuse is almost always accompanied by serious psychological abuse and in one quarter to one half of cases is also accompanied by forced sex. Most women that are abused numerous times often become terrified of their partners. Many are scared to speak to someone about the abuse due to the fear that the abuse will get worse if reported (www.infoforhealth.org).
More importantly, “60 percent of children who are sexually abused do not disclose and most are acquaintances but as many as 47 percent are family or extended family” (The Scope of, 2016). The prevalence of child sexual abuse is difficult to determine because it is often not reported; experts agree that the incidence is far greater than what is reported to authorities (Child Sexual Abuse, 2012). Startling statistics represent the depth of the issue. Globally, prevalence rates show that a range of 7-36% of women and 3-29% of men experience sexual abuse in childhood (The Scope of, 2016). “The U.S Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Bureau report child maltreatment 2010 found that 9.2% of victimized children were sexually assaulted” (Child Sexual Abuse,
Lastly, threatening signs of sexual abuse can include difficulty walking or sitting, premature understanding of sex, and pain in the genital area. Wetting or soiling accidents that are unrelated to toilet training can also be a warning sign.