Sexual Abuse of Children: Current Solutions

Child sexual abuse is a major problem occuring in the world; it needs to stop. Around the world child maltreatment is caused by many factors, and the victims aren't able to defend their self. Nothing is being done about sexually abusing children. Yes, in most cases the abuser does go to jail, but that's it. More needs to be done. Every day children die from child abuse. Overview Sexual assault is defined as forcing an unconsenting person to engage in any forms of sexual activity. Sexual abuse is a result of many cases of sexual assault. Some causes of this abuse are that the abusers were often abused as children themselves, i.e. physically, sexually, or emotionally, and most victims are abused by a family member, guardian, older children, or a caretaker because of better access to a relationship to the child.

More than 772,000 children were found to be victims of child abuse in 2009 (Backstrom, 2011, n.p.) Sexual abuse of children with disabilities or mental retardation, poverty, unemployment, substance abuse in the family, depression or mental health conditions in parents, and young, single non biological parents are more likely to be abused (Child abuse). Most studies show children with disabilities have a higher percent of getting abused rather than non-disabled children. Risk factors of sexual abuse are family structure. Many abusers say they look for the quiet, troubled, lonely children who come from broken homes. They sometimes seek children who are trusting and work to build a trusting relationship with the child before abusing them. Gender, age, and ethnicity are also big factors. Females are 5 times more likely to be sexually abused than males. Children within the ages of 7 to 13 are more vulnerable to be abuse. The average age for a child to be abused is 9 years old. African American children’s rate of being sexually abused is two times higher than white children. (Cachouston, 2016, n.p.).

Living with the knowledge that they were sexually abused, many people blame themselves. One in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually assaulted before they reach 18. One in three of sexual assault is under 12. Four percent of adult victims are male. Eight percent of victims 12-17 are male (Backstrom, 2011, n.p).

Children who are sexually abused suffer from guilt, humiliation, shame, and confusion. They sometimes believe they are at fault. These feelings often lead to long-term repression of these traumatic events (Backstrom, 2011, n.p.). Attending support groups or therapy can help the victims talk about their struggles with living with the sexual abuse. If you suspect your child has been abused, get help immediately through your pediatrician or a local child protective agency. The doctor also may testify in court if necessary to obtain legal protection for the child or criminal prosecution. Penalties for a sexual abuser can be up to 10 years of jail or prison time. If your child has been abused, you may be the only person who can help him. There is no good reason to delay reporting your suspicions of abuse. Some reasons why victims put off reporting the abuse is that the child is afraid to speak up about it. Denying the problem will only make the situation worse, allowing the abuse to continue (What to know about child abuse).

Proposal Victims of sexual abuse may not be aware of rehabilitation programs they can attend to seek the help they need, or the programs are not in a convenient location for them. Children who are abused suffer greater emotional than physical damage (What to know about child abuse), resulting in them possibly needing professional help. More rehabilitation facility programs should be more well-known and public for victims of sexual abuse. Advertising these programs can help people know more about them to get help the victims need to recover. Conclusion Too many children in the world are getting sexually abused by people they trust the most. Sexual abuse cause many people to be traumatized for the rest of their life. This can cause the victims to go to deep states of depression, rage, and humiliation that they couldn't do anything about it. Sexually abusing child-or anybody for that matter is a growing problem that needs to stop.