Child Sex Abuse: A Hidden Epidemic? ………KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!………..

As promised in my last article, CHILD SEX ABUSE: PLEASE DON’T BLAME THE VICTIM! which was widely read, I am now providing the statistics or numbers on this sexual epidemic as well as the emotional outcome to the child.  If this were a medical rather than a psychological incident, sexual abuse would be officially labeled an epidemic and people would be using masks or seeking vaccinations. The use of the term “epidemic” is not relevant  if merely one child is violated however, it is an epidemic in the eyes of the victim as well as the family.  Indeed, child sex abuse is a widespread problem with statistics of one in four girls and one in six boys who are violated sexually before the age of eighteen. It has been reported that up to 80,000 cases per year do occur in our own country.  Unfortunately, the majority of sexually violated children, only one in twenty cases, are identified and reported to law enforcement agencies. These hidden victims or children are not provided with mental health support, legal representation and bear lifelong emotional scars. These scars are exhibited as a disruption in child development and significant anxiety, depression (related to Post Traumatic Stress Depression) and future drug and alcohol addiction to anesthetize the profound pain and trauma.

When silence is exhibited by the sexually abused child, the pedophile may be someone the child trusts and admires and has difficulty perceiving that person in a negative way. The child tends to blame his or her self and could be fearful of the threatening actions of the pedophile to harm the child or the family if disclosure occurs.

This horrific violation of a child’s body and spirit provokes feelings of powerlessness in the child and precipitates a belief of having little control over the actions or outcomes. The abuse of the child in being used as a sex object to satisfy the pedophile’s psychotic needs is a casual factor in the belief of the child that he or she  is worthless, devalued and these feelings result in lifelong dysfunctions in the establishment of intimate relationships as an adult. Sexual abuse causes children to believe that this violation of their undeveloped bodies is their fault and they tend to blame themselves for this hideous crime.

Child sexual abuse not only robs children of their precious childhood but can have long term emotional effects that are evidenced when they reach adulthood such as; depression , anxiety, PTSD, eating disorders, obesity, alcohol and drug abuse, self destructive behaviors such as cutting and the probability of being sexually re-victimized as an adult.  A young victim may become withdrawn and mistrustful of adults or become overly sexualized , overly aggressive , a fixation or addiction to pornography  and finally, suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The causal factors of these dysfunctional behavior patterns is the attempt to exhibit some control over their life, self hate, anger at the world that doesn’t protect them, anesthetizing their emotional pain and escaping from the reality of sexual violation.

No child is physically and  psychologically prepared to cope with repeated premature sexual stimulation and survive without prominent and destructive outcomes. As noted in the research, even a three year old child, who barely knows that sexual activity is unnatural at that stage of development, will display  dysfunctions as a result of the inability to cope with the over stimulation.

It is hoped that these words and statistics will enlighten and provide a deeper understanding of this epidemic of child sexual violation. In my next article on this topic, I will be providing readers with research and information on intervention and prevention of child sexual abuse. Please do let me hear your voice and opinions which may also help others who could be directly or indirectly effected by this epidemic. There is no mask nor vaccination to prevent this criminal behavior inflicted on our “little angels”, only  the use of the motto,  ” Knowledge Is Power”, our only weapon to defend and protect our children.