Sexual assault has long been a topic surrounded by secrecy and taboos, yet before they reach the age of eighteen, from 30 to 46 percent of all children are sexually assaulted in some way. Traditionally parent warn their children to stay away from strangers, yet study show that only 10 to 15 percent of sexual assaults involve strangers. The most common incidents are those in which a person already known to the child takes advantage of the child's trust and dependency on adults for protection.
Many involve incestuous relationships between parent and child: the most common form is between father and daughter. It is believed that as many as 50,000 children each year are sexually abused by parents or guardians. The myth is that most assault are isolated, extreme incidents, violent attacks that take place suddenly, "out of the blue." But the reality is that most assaults involve a situation that develops gradually over a period of time, with frequent incidents; usually, the adult uses bribery or threats that extreme physical force.
The basic point here is that children are extremely vulnerable psychologically; they may not understand that their bodies are their own and that no one has right to touch them in a way that makes them uncomfortable - that they can say no. Today, there is an increasing number of groups and organizations dedicated to making the public more aware of this problem and giving parents reassuring, common-sense guidlines for protecting children from sexual abuse and for dealing with it if does occur.
No comments:
Post a Comment