Child Sexual Abuse: The Detrimental Effects

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Sexual violence is the most common violent crime in many countries, where acquaintance violence is dramatically becoming more prevalent than stranger violence. Acquaintance violence is defined as assaults in which “the victim knew one or more of the offenders at least by sight, but not involving partners, ex-partners, household members, and other relatives” (Mattinson, 2001). Child sexual abuse is largely becoming a problem that affects children of all ages, genders, and cultural backgrounds, furthermore most cases are committed by men who were at some point involved in the child’s life. According to a past research, an estimate of 12 percent of girls below the age of 14 have fallen victim to sexual abuse, and in almost half of the cases, the offenders were family members (Modelli, Galvão, & Pratesi, 2012). Sexual abuse includes, but is not limited to, activities such as “fondling, oral-genital contact, rape, penetration that are genital or anal, exhibitionism, voyeurism, and exposure to pornography” (Modelli et al., 2012). Such acts are only considered as child abuse if they are inflicted or forced upon children below the age of 18. Impacts of Child Sexual Abuse People who were sexually victimized as children are not distinguishable from those who were not, in terms of outer appearance alone. Nevertheless, they may exhibit some maladaptive behaviour, as a form of defence mechanism, that are commonly classified with victims of childhood abuse. Such psychological symptoms are able to shed light on the mental trauma suffered by the victims. A study by Elliott and Briere (as cited in Briere & Runtz, 1993) suggests that male victims are more likely to express their distress outwardly, such as through aggression, while females direct ... ... middle of paper ... ...ogy, 20(1), 341-68. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0954579408000163 Modelli, M. E. S., Galvão, M. F., & Pratesi, R. (2012). Child sexual abuse. Forensic Science International (Online), 217(1), 1-4. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2011.08.006 Odhayani, A. A. O., Watson, W. J., & Watson, L. (2013). Behavioral consequences of child abuse. Can Fam Physician, 59(8), 831-836. Pullins, L., & Jones, J. (2006). Parental knowledge of child sexual abuse symptoms. Journal Of Child Sexual Abuse, 15(4), 1-18. Reckling, A. E., & Buirski, P. (1996). Child abuse, self-development, and affect regulation. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 13(1), 81-99. doi:10.1037/h0079639 Toni, C. J. (2000). Sexualized children and children who molest. SIECUS Report, 29(1), 35-39. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/ docview/229667689?accountid=3783

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