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There is an evil cancer that is in society. The sexual abuse of children. I was posting about some statistics pertaining to rape last night in a thread in the philosophy sub forum, and this started weighing on my mind. Rape is another evil in society, but for the sake of clarity, when I personally use the term "rape" I am thinking of adults, and child sexual abuse is of course specifically referring to children.

While I would not normally quote such a large passage, I felt it was important enough for people to view these statistics in whole.

The statistics are shocking

* 1 in 4 girls is sexually abused before the age of 18.
* 1 in 6 boys is sexually abused before the age of 18.
* 1 in 5 children are solicited sexually while on the internet.
* Nearly 70% of all reported sexual assaults (including assaults on adults) occur to children ages 17 and under.
* An estimated 39 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse exist in America today.

Even within the walls of their own homes, children are at risk for sexual abuse

* 30-40% of victims are abused by a family member.
* Another 50% are abused by someone outside of the family whom they know and trust.
* Approximately 40% are abused by older or larger children whom they know.
* Therefore, only 10% are abused by strangers.

Sexual abuse can occur at all ages, probably younger than you think

* The median age for reported abuse is 9 years old.
* More than 20% of children are sexually abused before the age of 8.
* Nearly 50% of all victims of forcible sodomy, sexual assault with an object, and forcible fondling are children under 12.

Most children don't tell even if they have been asked

* Evidence that a child has been sexually abused is not always obvious, and many children do not report that they have been abused.
* Over 30% of victims never disclose the experience to ANYONE.
* Young victims may not recognize their victimization as sexual abuse.
* Almost 80% initially deny abuse or are tentative in disclosing. Of those who do disclose, approximately 75% disclose accidentally. Additionally, of those who do disclose, more than 20% eventually recant even though the abuse occurred.
* Fabricated sexual abuse reports constitute only 1% to 4% of all reported cases. Of these reports, 75% are falsely reported by adults and 25% are reported by children. Children only fabricate ½% of the time.

Consequences of child sexual abuse begin affecting children and families immediately. They also affect society in innumerable and negative ways. These effects can continue throughout the life of the survivor so the impact on society for just one survivor continues over multiple decades. Try to imagine the impact of 39 million survivors.

Health and/or Behavioral Problems:

* The way a victim's family responds to abuse plays an important role in how the incident affects the victim.
* Sexually abused children who keep it a secret or who "tell" and are not believed are at greater risk than the general population for psychological, emotional, social, and physical problems often lasting into adulthood.
* Children who have been victims of sexual abuse are more likely to experience physical health problems (e.g., headaches).
* Victims of child sexual abuse report more symptoms of PTSD, more sadness, and more school problems than non-victims.
* Victims of child sexual abuse are more likely to experience major depressive disorder as adults.
* Young girls who are sexually abused are more likely to develop eating disorders as adolescents.
* Adolescent victims of violent crime have difficulty in the transition to adulthood, are more likely to suffer financial failure and physical injury, and are at risk to fail in other areas due to problem behaviors and outcomes of the victimization.

Drug and/or Alcohol Problems:

* Victims of child sexual abuse report more substance abuse problems. 70-80% of sexual abuse survivors report excessive drug and alcohol use.
* Young girls who are sexually abused are 3 times more likely to develop psychiatric disorders or alcohol and drug abuse in adulthood, than girls who are not sexually abused.
* Among male survivors, more than 70% seek psychological treatment for issues such as substance abuse, suicidal thoughts and attempted suicide. Males who have been sexually abused are more likely to violently victimize others.

Teenage Pregnancy and Promiscuity:

* Children who have been victims of sexual abuse exhibit long-term and more frequent behavioral problems, particularly inappropriate sexual behaviors.
* Women who report childhood rape are 3 times more likely to become pregnant before age 18.
* An estimated 60% of teen first pregnancies are preceded by experiences of molestation, rape, or attempted rape. The average age of their offenders is 27 years.
* Victims of child sexual abuse are more likely to be sexually promiscuous.
* More than 75% of teenage prostitutes have been sexually abused.

Crime:

* Adolescents who suffer violent victimization are at risk for being victims or perpetrators of felony assault, domestic violence, and property offense as adults.
* Nearly 50% of women in prison state that they were abused as children.
* Over 75% of serial rapists report they were sexually abused as youngsters.

Most perpetrators don't molest only one child if they are not reported and stopped.

* Nearly 70% of child sex offenders have between 1 and 9 victims; at least 20% have 10 to 40 victims.
* An average serial child molester may have as many as 400 victims in his lifetime.

Source: Darkness to Light--stats



I don't know if people who have not experienced this fully grasp the long term damage that sexual abuse inflicts. One problem is that people are very uncomfortable talking about their experiences with abuse, because they are ashamed or don't know what to say. I am ashamed, but I am tired of hiding. Beginning in infancy, I was abused on and off until the age of 7 by a family member and a 15 year old foster child who lived in my parent's home for a year and a half. When my parents found out what the foster child had done, he had already left the home. They did not handle the news well...I remember lots of screaming and yelling and finally being told to go to my room. I realize now what I did not know then....that my parents responded the way they did because they were shocked and felt guilty. They used to leave this 15 year old kid in charge when they went out, as a babysitter. This was in the 1970s and people were perhaps more trusting back then, certainly people did not realize how sadly common it is for children to be abused.

So, I had gone to my room with the knowledge that I was a very bad, bad girl. The screaming response cemented it into my head and the almost daily beatings and verbal putdowns that I received until I was about 16 put the final nail on the lid of any doubt I might have had regarding my "badness". Truly, the lessons we learn as children are a foundation for the adults we grow into being. I know now that I am not a bad person....I know this on an intellectual level, but it is hard, very hard to feel it in my heart. I am not always nice, not always pleasant. I get deeply depressed, I am often ill, I have a bad temper. I am easily shamed, even by things that are not meant to shame me.

There are other stories I could tell, things that happened to a young, troubled and unsure woman. I don't want to acknowledge that woman, anymore than I wish to acknowledge that hurt, bewildered and angry child. I wish they would disappear, but they live on, inside the person I am now.


*edit*
I have been in therapy for several years, and additionally I do volunteer work to help women and children who have been hurt like me. There are some parts of the story I have left out simply because it is not just my life that I would be discussing, so I am trying to respect another person's privacy. Just for the sake of clarity, the beatings I received for years after (until slightly after age 16) were not inflicted by my parents. Yes, my parents hit me...my dad was a violent man. If people have read my post in the drinking thread than that is obvious. It is just hard for me to list everything.


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