Overview
Child sexual abuse
has been at the center of unprecedented public attention during the
last decade. All fifty states and the District of Columbia have
enacted statutes identifying child sexual abuse as criminal behavior
(Whitcomb, 1986). This crime encompasses different types of sexual
activity, including voyeurism, sexual dialogue, fondling, touching of
the genitals, vaginal, anal, or oral rape and forcing children to
participate in pornography or prostitution.
Child
Sexual Abusers
Perpetrators of
child sexual abuse come from different age groups, genders, races and
socio- economic backgrounds. Women sexually abuse children, although
not as frequently as men, and juvenile perpetrators comprise as many
as one-third of the offenders (Finkelhor, 1994). One common
denominator is that victims frequently know and trust their abusers.
Child abusers coerce
children by offering attention or gifts, manipulating or threatening
their victims, using aggression or employing a combination of these
tactics. "[D]ata indicate that child molesters are frequently
aggressive. Of 250 child victims studied by DeFrancis, 50% experienced
physical force, such as being held down, struck, or shaken
violently" (Becker, 1994).
Child
Sexual Abuse Victims
Studies have not
found differences in the prevalence of child sexual abuse among
different social classes or races. However, parental inadequacy,
unavailability, conflict and a poor parent-child relationship are
among the characteristics that distinguish children at risk of being
sexually abused (Finkelhor, 1994). According to the Third National
Incidence Study, girls are sexually abused three times more often
than boys, whereas boys are more likely to die or be seriously injured
from their abuse (Sedlak & Broadhurst, 1996). Both boys and girls
are most vulnerable to abuse between the ages of 7 and 13 (Finkelhor,
1994).
Incest
Incest traditionally
describes sexual abuse in which the perpetrator and victim are related
by blood. However, incest can also refer to cases where the
perpetrator and victim are emotionally connected (Crnich & Crnich,
1992). "[I]ntrafamily perpetrators constitute from one-third to
one-half of all perpetrators against girls and only about one-tenth to
one-fifth of all perpetrators against boys. There is no question that
intrafamily abuse is more likely to go on over a longer period of time
and in some of its forms, particularly parent-child abuse, has been
shown to have more serious consequences" (Finkelhor, 1994).
Symptoms
of Child Sexual Abuse
Many sexually abused
children exhibit physical, behavioral and emotional symptoms. Some
physical signs are pain or irritation to the genital area, vaginal or
penile discharge and difficulty with urination. Victims of known
assailants may experience less physical trauma because such injuries
might attract suspicion (Hammerschlag, 1996).
Behavioral changes
often precede physical symptoms as the first indicators of sexual
abuse (American Humane Association Children's Division, 1993).
Behavioral signs include nervous or aggressive behavior toward adults,
sexual provocativeness before an appropriate age and the use of
alcohol and other drugs. Boys "are more likely than girls to act
out in aggressive and antisocial ways as a result of abuse" (Finkelhor,
1994). Children may say such things as, "My mother's boyfriend
does things to me when she's not there," or "I'm afraid to
go home tonight."
Consequences
of Child Sexual Abuse
Consequences of
child sexual abuse range "from chronic depression to low
self-esteem to sexual dysfunction to multiple personalities. A fifth
of all victims develop serious long-term psychological problems,
according to the American Medical Association. These may include
dissociative responses and other signs of post-traumatic-stress
syndrome [sic], chronic states of arousal, nightmares, flashbacks,
venereal disease and anxiety over sex or exposure of the body during
medical exams" ("Child Sexual Abuse . . .," 1993).
Cycle
of Violence
Children who are
abused or neglected are more likely to become criminal offenders as
adults. A National Institute of Justice study found "that
childhood abuse increased the odds of future delinquency and adult
criminality overall by 40 percent" (Widom, 1992). Child sexual
abuse victims are also at risk of becoming ensnared in this cycle of
violence. One expert estimates that forty percent of sexual abusers
were sexually abused as children (Vanderbilt, 1992). In addition,
victims of child sexual abuse are 27.7 times more likely to be
arrested for prostitution as adults than non-victims. (Widom, 1995).
Some victims become sexual abusers or prostitutes because they have a
difficult time relating to others except on sexual terms.
Stopping
the Cycle of Violence
With early detection
and appropriate treatment, society can prevent some victimized
children from becoming adult perpetrators. In order to intervene early
in abuse, parents should educate their children about appropriate
sexual behavior and how to feel comfortable saying no (American Humane
Association Children's Division, 1993).
Although about 40%
of untreated nonincest offenders recidivate, studies have found that
treatment can successfully decrease recidivism rates (Becker, 1994).
Depo-Provera and other pharmacological treatments can decrease sexual
thoughts, urges or drives by lowering male sexual offenders'
testosterone levels. This method is sometimes referred to as chemical
castration. Offenders' inappropriate attraction to children can be
diminished by behavioral modification techniques, such as aversive
conditioning, masturbatory satiation, and covert sensitization.
Psychological treatment such as psychotherapy and counseling can help
offenders understand their behavior and identify its origins (Groth
& Oliveri, 1989).
Steps must be taken
to ensure that perpetrators do not attack again once the criminal
justice system's punitive measures have taken their course. All states
and the federal government have enacted versions of Megan's Law that
require community notification and sex offender registration. Under
these laws, authorities are required to notify communities when sex
offenders move in. In some cases, law enforcement agencies make the
notification while the offender is responsible in others. Registration
laws require offenders to provide information such as name and address
to a law enforcement agency. The FBI maintains a nationwide sex
offender registry (Walsh, 1997).
Child
Sexual Abuse Reporting
Children may resist
reporting sexual abuse because they are afraid of angering the
offender, blame themselves for the abuse or feel guilty and ashamed.
In order to increase reporting, parents and adults who interact with
children, such as school personnel, teachers, counselors, child care
workers, Boy and Girl Scout troop leaders and coaches, should be
educated about the behavioral and physical symptoms of child sexual
abuse (American Humane Association Children's Division, 1995).
Children are more likely to reveal sexual abuse when talking to
someone who appears to 'already know' and is not judgmental, critical
or threatening. They also tend to disclose when they believe
continuation of the abuse will be unbearable; they are physically
injured; or they receive sexual abuse prevention information. Other
reasons may be to protect another child or if pregnancy is a threat
("Child Sexual Abuse . . .", 1993).
Recovery
from Child Sexual Abuse
Once a child
discloses the abuse, an appropriate response is extremely important to
the child's healing process. The adult being confided in should
encourage the victim to talk freely, reassure the child that he or she
is not to blame and seek medical and psychological assistance. Family
members may also benefit from mental health services (American Academy
of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 1992).
Legal
Action
Suspicions of child
sexual abuse should be reported to a child protective services agency
or law enforcement agency. Local child protection agencies investigate
intrafamilial abuse and the police investigate extrafamilial abuse.
The law requires professionals who work with children to report
suspected neglect or abuse.
In addition to
reporting child sexual abuse to the authorities, victims can sue their
abusers in civil court to recover monetary damages or win other
remedies (Crnich & Crnich, 1992). Many states have extended their
criminal and civil statutes of limitation for child sexual abuse cases
(National Center for Victims of Crime, 1995). In addition, the delayed
discovery rule suspends the statutes of limitation if the victim had
repressed all memory of the abuse or was unaware that the abuse caused
current problems (Crnich & Crnich, 1992).
Adult
Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse
Survivors of child
sexual abuse use coping mechanisms to deal with the horror of the
abuse. One such mechanism, protective denial, entails repressing some
or all of the abuse. This may cause significant memory gaps that can
last months or even years. Victims also use dissociative coping
mechanisms, such as becoming numb, to distance themselves from the
psychological and physiological responses to the abuse. They may also
turn to substance abuse, self-mutilation and eating disorders. In
order to recover, adult survivors must adopt positive coping
behaviors, forgive themselves, and relinquish their identities as
survivors (Sgroi, 1989). The healing process can begin when the
survivor acknowledges the abuse. When working with adult survivors of
child sexual abuse, therapists should consider the survivor's feeling
of security and the personal and professional ramifications of
disclosure.
Societal influences
play a big role in the recovery process. Although males are raised to
shoulder responsibility for what happens to them, male victims need to
understand that the victimization was not their fault. Only then can
they begin to accept that they were not responsible for the abuse
(Male Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse, 1990).
Works Cited
American Academy of
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. (1992). Child Sexual Abuse. Washington,
D.C.: American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
American Humane
Association Children's Division. (1993). Child Sexual Abuse: AHA
Fact Sheet #4. Englewood, CO: American Humane Association.
American Humane
Association Children's Division. (1995). Guidelines to Help
Children Who Have Been Reported for Suspected Abuse or Neglect: AHA
Fact Sheet #14. Englewood, CO: American Humane Association.
Becker, Judith.
(1994). "Offenders: Characteristics and Treatment." The
Future of Children, 4(2): 179, 186.
"Child Sexual
Abuse: Does the Nation Face an Epidemic - or a Wave of Hysteria?"
(1993). CQ Researcher, 3(2): 27-28.
Crnich, Joseph & Crnich, Kimberly. (1992). Shifting the Burden
of Truth: Suing Child Sexual Abusers - A Legal Guide for Survivors and
Their Supporters. Lake Oswego, OR: Recollex Publishing.
Finkelhor, David.
(1994). "Current Information on the Scope and Nature of Child
Sexual Abuse." The Future of Children, 4(2): 31,
46-48.
Groth, Nicholas
& Oliveri, Frank. (1989). "Understanding Sexual Offense
Behavior and Differentiating among Sexual Abusers: Basic Conceptual
Issues." Vulnerable Populations: Sexual Abuse Treatment for
Children, Adult Survivors, Offenders, and Persons with Mental
Retardation Volume 2, Suzanne Sgroi, Ed. Lexington, MA: Lexington
Books.
Hammerschlag,
Margaret. (1996). Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Child Sexual
Abuse. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice.
Male Survivors of
Childhood Sexual Abuse. (1990). Virginia Child Protection
Newsletter, 31: 1-12.
National Center for
Victims of Crime. (1995). "Extensions of the Criminal and Civil
Statutes of Limitation in Child Sexual Abuse Cases." FYI, No.57.
Arlington, VA: National Victim Center.
National Center for
Victims of Crime and Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center.
(1992). Rape in America: A Report to the Nation. Arlington, VA:
National Center for Victims of Crime and Crime Victims Research and
Treatment Center.
Sedlak, Andrea &
Broadhurst, Diane. (1996). Executive Summary of the Third National
Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect. Washington, D.C.:
National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services.
Sgroi, Suzanne.
(1989). "Stages of Recovery for Adult Survivors of Child Sexual
Abuse." Vulnerable Populations: Sexual Abuse Treatment for
Children, Adult Survivors, Offenders, and Persons with Mental
Retardation Volume 2, Suzanne Sgroi, Ed. Lexington, MA: Lexington
Books.
Walsh, Elizabeth
Rahmberg. (1997). "Megan's Laws - Sex Offender Registration and
Notification Statutes and Constitutional Challenges." The Sex
Offender: New Insights, Treatment Innovations and Legal Developments,
Barbara Schwartz and Henry Cellini, Eds. Kingston, NJ: Civic Research
Institute.
Wang, Ching-Tung
& Daro, Deborah. (1997). Current Trends in Child Abuse: The
Results of the 1996 Annual Fifty State Survey. Chicago, IL: The
National Center on Child Abuse Prevention Research, The National
Committee to Prevent Child Abuse.
Whitcomb, Debra.
(1986). Prosecuting Child Sexual Abuse: New Approaches.
Washington, D.C.: National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of
Justice.
Widom, Cathy Spatz.
(1992). The Cycle of Violence. Washington, D.C.: National
Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice.
Widom, Cathy Spatz.
(1995). Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse - Later Criminal
Consequences. Washington, D.C.: National Institute of Justice,
U.S. Department of Justice.
For additional information, please contact:
American Humane Association Children's Division
63 Inverness Drive East
Englewood, CO 80112-5117
(303) 792-9900
Family
Violence and Sexual Assault Institute
1121 East Southeast Loop 323
Suite 130
Tyler, TX 75701
(903) 534-5100
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America
230 North 13th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 567-7000
National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information
P.O. Box 1182
Washington, DC 20013
(800) FYI-3366
(703) 385-7565
Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network
252 10th Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
(800) 656-4673
FYI:
A Program of the National Center for Victims of Crime.
All rights
reserved.
Copyright © 1997 by the National Center for Victims of Crime.
This information may be freely distributed, provided that it is
distributed free of charge, in its entirety and includes this
copyright notice.
SafetyCops.com
