Being abused as a child may have serious and
long-lasting effects on a person. Such effects can include:
Loss of confidence, dignity and self respect
What is sexual abuse?
Sexual abuse is any sexually related behaviour
between two or more people where there is an imbalance of power. This can
include adult-child, older child-younger child, adolescent-younger person, or
any situation where the other person is forced to participate. It is sexually
abusive when the victim is unaware of the abuse (such as being watched while
bathing, using the bathroom, changing, etc.), as well as when the victim is
sleeping, unconscious, under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or is too
young, naïve, or able to understand what is going on.
Remember you are not alone and that you can get help.
How might this affect me?
The impact of sexual abuse can range from no apparent effects to very severe
ones. Typically, children who experience the most serious types of abuse –
abuse involving family members and high degrees of physical force – exhibit behaviour problems ranging from separation anxiety to
post-traumatic stress disorder. However, children who are the victims of sexual
abuse are also often exposed to a variety of other
stressors and difficult circumstances in their lives, including parental
substance abuse. The sexual abuse and its aftermath may be only part of the
child's negative experiences and subsequent behaviours.
Therefore, correctly diagnosing abuse is often complex. Conclusive physical
evidence of sexual abuse is relatively rare in suspected cases. For all of
these reasons, when abuse is suspected, an
appropriately trained health professional should be consulted.
Being abused as a child may have serious and
long-lasting effects on a person. Such effects can include:
Loss of confidence, dignity and self respect
Low self-esteem and poor self-worth
Loss of hope for the future
Adverse effects on both physical and mental health
The inability to trust others even close family and friends
The inability to relax and enjoy life
Loss of innocence and childhood
Anxiety, guilt and fear
Sexual dysfunction, withdrawal, and acting out
Difficulties in relating to the opposite sex.
And may also lead to:
Alcohol and drug abuse
Obsessive behaviour and strict routines
Anxiety states
Self-harming e.g. cutting, scratching or burning
Depression and suicide.
Related help and contacts
Top of page
Physical effects and behaviour
changes in abused children.
The most obvious signs of childhood sexual abuse are the physical factors.
Children that are being sexually abused may have difficulty walking or
sitting, have stained, torn or bloody clothing, or have pain or itching in the
genital area
Some children may have bruises or external bleeding, vaginal bleeding or anal
bleeding.
Children may also show certain behavior characteristics that may point to
childhood sexual abuse.
These include a highly sexual form of play, bizarre or
unusual knowledge of sex, and unusually seductive behaviors with peers
Children may also have poor relationships with peers, be delinquent, run away,
or even threaten or attempt suicide
Teachers may also see deterioration in school work or sudden noticeable changes
in behaviour
The child may become overly concerned about siblings
The child may even exhibit fear of physical contact.
Related help and contacts
Top of page
Some general facts
1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are subjected to some form of sexual abuse
In more than 75% of cases the abuse is committed by an adult the child knows
and trusts
Most abusers are men but women are also capable of sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is any type of sexual assault of a child under 16.
Sexual abuse takes many forms:
Fondling a child's genitals
Masturbation
Oral-genital contact
Digital penetration
Vaginal and anal intercourse.
Child sexual abuse is not solely restricted to physical contact; such abuse could
include non-contact abuse, such as exposure, voyeurism, and child pornography.
Some facts about male sexual abuse
1 in 6 men report having had unwanted direct sexual contact with an older
person by the age of 16. This figure is as high as 1
in 4 if indirect or non-contact sexual behaviour such
as indecent exposure is included
Common symptoms for sexually abused men include: guilt, anxiety, depression,
interpersonal isolation, shame, low self-esteem, self-destructive behavior,
post-traumatic stress reactions, poor body imagery, sleep disturbance,
nightmares, anorexia or bulimia, relational and/or sexual dysfunction, and
compulsive behavior like alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling, overeating,
overspending, and sexual obsession or compulsion
The vast majority (over 80%) of sexually abused boys never become adult
perpetrators
There is no compelling evidence that sexual abuse fundamentally changes a boy's
sexual orientation, but it may lead to confusion about sexual identity and is
likely to affect how he relates in intimate situations
Boys often feel physical sexual arousal during abuse even if repulsed by what
is happening
Perpetrators tend to be males who consider themselves heterosexual and are most
likely to be known but unrelated to the victims.
Why do children not speak out?
During the time that the abuse is taking place a child
may say nothing. This may be as a result of:
Threats with further abuse and violence if they tell anyone
Fear that they will not be believed
Believing it was their fault that the abuse happened
An inability to describe or understand what has happened to them
Wanting to protect the family or even the abuser(s), who could be either male
or female.
Child sexual abuse victims may temporarily block memories of what has happened
but the effects will surface as they grow. Not talking about what happened will
not make it go away but encourages it to fester. Adults often do not talk about
child sexual abuse because of their own discomfort with the topic. If adults
are not willing to talk about the abuse, the child will probably feel there is
something to be ashamed of, that it is dirty and just too awful to talk about.
This attitude will only serve to increase the child's feelings of guilt, shame
and feelings of being abnormal and will compound their problems.
Children often feel powerless to stop the abuse. You cannot be
responsible for consenting to an act you did not understand or which you were forced into.
Why has this happened to me?
Remember the abuser is always to blame for the abuse not the Victim.
No matter how long ago you were abused, your
feelings about what happened to you are important. You have the right to be listened to, no matter what you want to say. Through
speaking about your abuse you may well be able to overcome
any difficulties that you experience as an adult.
Who are the perpetrators of child sexual abuse?
The majority of sexual offenders are family members or
are otherwise known to the child. Sexual abuse by strangers is not nearly as
common as sexual abuse by family members. Men perpetrate most instances of
sexual abuse, but there are cases in which women are the offenders. Despite a
common myth, homosexual men are not more likely to
sexually abuse children than heterosexual men are.
Originally published by: http://news.stv.tv/scotland/71030-adult-survivors-of-child-abuse/