Sex Abuse And Children Essay Research Paper

Sex Abuse And Children Essay, Research Paper

Prof. Dunn Matt Blydenburgh

Jadm 425 12/18/1998

Sexual Abuse of Children

One out of three girls, and one out of seven boys, are sexually abused by the time they reach the age of eighteen.” The definition of incest is sexual intercourse between blood relatives: it is illegal to marry because of such a close relationship. There is now a discrepancy in the definition of incest that takes into consideration the betrayal of trust and the imbalance of power in a one-sided relationship. One such definition is: “the imposition of sexually inappropriate acts, or acts with sexual overtones … by one or more persons who derive authority through ongoing emotional bonding with that child.” This definition broadens the definition of incest to include sexual abuse by anyone who has authority or power over the child. Every child is vulnerable to sexual abuse. Today’s parents must face the possibility that someone may hurt or take advantage of their child. Research indicates that as many as one out of every four children will be the victim of sexual abuse. Very young children as well as older teenagers are capable of being victimized. Almost all of these children will be abused by someone they know and trust, for example, a relative, family, friend or caretaker. (Bass and Davis, 1988, p. 20) (Blume, 1990, p. 4)

Sexual abuse can be physical, verbal or emotional and includes: sexual touching and fondling, exposing children to adult sexual activity or pornographic movies and photographs, having children pose, undress or perform in a sexual fashion on film or in person, “peeping” into bathrooms or bedrooms to spy on a child, and rape or attempted rape. Sexual abuse also involves forcing, tricking, bribing, threatening or pressuring a child into sexual awareness or activity. Sexual abuse occurs when a teenager or an adult uses a child for sexual pleasure. The abuse often begins slowly and the pace increases over time. The use of physical force is rarely necessary to engage a child in sexual activity because children are trusting and dependent of their abusers. They want to please the abuser and gain love and approval. Children are usually taught not to question authority and they are also taught to believe that adults are always right even though we are imperfect also. Abusers know this and take advantage of these vulnerabilities in children to their advantage. Sexual abuse is an abuse of power and trust over a child and a violation of a child’s right to normal, healthy, trusting relationships and it also hinders their ability to form new and trusting relationships. (America Online .Sexual abuse prevention..)

Because most children do not tell about being sexually abused, it is up to the adults to recognize the signs of sexual abuse. Physical evidence of abuse is rare therefore, we must look for behavior signs. Unfortunately, there is no one behavior alone that definitely determines that a child has been sexually abused. The following are general behavior changes that may occur in children who have been sexually abused: physical complaints, fear or dislike of certain people or places, sleep disturbances, headaches, school problems, withdrawal from family, friends, or usual activities, excessive bathing or poor hygiene, return to younger, more babyish behavior, depression, anxiety, discipline problems, running away, eating disorders, passive or overly pleasing behavior, delinquent acts, low self-esteem, self-destructive behavior, hostility or aggression, drug or alcohol problems, sexual activity or pregnancy at an early age, and suicide attempts. (America Online .Sexual abuse prevention..)

Children who have been sexually abused frequently have more specific symptoms such as: copying adult sexual behavior, persistent sexual play with other children, themselves, toys or pets, displaying sexual knowledge, through language or behavior, that is beyond what is normal for their age, unexplained pain, swelling, bleeding or irritation of the mouth, genital or anal area; urinary infections; sexually transmitted diseases, and hints, indirect comments or statements about the abuse. (America Online .Sexual abuse prevention..)

Also often children do not tell anyone about sexual abuse because they have many fears and have to deal with this confusing situation. Some reasons for this are that they are too young to put what has happened into words, were threatened or bribed by the abuser to keep the abuse a secret, feel confused by the attention and feelings accompanying the abuse, are afraid no one will believe them, blame themselves or believe the abuse is punishment for being “bad”, feel too ashamed or embarrassed to tell, and worry about getting into trouble or getting a loved one into trouble. The silence of the abused children enables sexual abuse to continue. The silence of the child protects sexual offenders and causes further physical and emotional hurt to children who are being abused. Sexual abuse is an extremely difficult and damaging experience to the child and his physical and emotional development. Today there are many resources to help abused victims and their families to cope so children no longer need to suffer in silence.

Children who have been sexually abused feel many different (and often overwhelming) emotions, including:

· Fear

· of the abuser

· of cau