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Sexual Abuse:
The number of child sexual abuse cases reported
in a given year has reached as high as 80,000, but the number of
unreported instances is far greater. Many children who suffer from
sexual abuse are afraid to tell anyone what has happened. The legal
procedure of validating an episode is also difficult. Short and
long term emotional and psychological damage can be devastating
for victims of sexual abuse whose problem is not identified, stopped,
and treated with professional help.
Child sexual abuse can take place within the family,
by a parent, stepparent, sibling or other relative. It can also
occur outside the home, for example, by a friend, neighbor, child
care person, teacher or random molester. When sexual abuse occurs,
the child develops a variety of distressing feelings, thoughts,
and other problems.
Often there are no physical signs of child abuse,
or signs that only a physician could detect, such as changes in
genital or anal areas.
The behavior of sexually abused children may
include:
- Unusual interest in or avoidance of all things
of a sexual nature
- Sleep problems; nightmares
- Depression or withdrawl from friends or family
- Seductiveness
- Statements that their bodies are dirty or damaged,
or fear that there is something wrong with them in the genital
area.
- Refusal to go to school, or delinquency
- Secretiveness
- Aspects of sexual molestation in drawings games
or fantasies
- Unusual agressiveness
- Suicidal behavior
- Other radical behavior changes
-Taken from facts for families Vol. 1, No 9
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
3615 Wisconsin Avenue, N. W., Washington, D.C. 20016 (202) 966-7300
Responding to Child Sexual Abuse
When a child tells an adult that he or she has
been sexually abused, the adult may feel uncomfortable and may not
know what to say or do. The following guidelines are for responding
to children who have been sexually abused.
- If a child even hints in a vague way that sexual
abuse has occured, encourage him or her to talk freely. Don't
make judgemental comments.
- Show that you understand and take seriously
what the child is saying. The response to the disclosure of sexual
abuse is critical to the child's ability to resolve the trauma
of the abuse.
- Assure the child that he or she did the right
thing by telling. A child who is close to the abuser may feel
guilty revealing the secret.
- Tell the child that he or she is not to blame
for the abuse. Most children, attempting to make sense out of
the abuse, will believe that they caused it or may view it as
a form of punishment for imagined or real wrongdoings.
- Finally, offer the child protection, and promise
that you will promptly take steps to see that the abuse stops.
Report any suspicion of child abuse. If the abuse
is within the family, report it to the local Child Protection Agency.
If the abuse is outside of the family, report it to the police or
district attorney's office. Individuals reporting in good faith
are immune from prosecution. The agency receiving the report will
conduct an evaluation and will take action to protect the child.
Parents should consult with their pediatrician or
family physician, who may refer them to a physician who specialized
in evaluating and treating sexual abuse. The examining doctor will
evaluate the child's condition and treat any physical problem related
to the abuse, gather evidence to help protect the child, and reassure
the child that he or she is all right. |
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