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Spring Follows Winter Just As Joy Follows Recovery

Sexual Assault happens every two minutes in this country, make a choice to be a part of the solution.

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Sexual Assault is everybody's business.

• Archived Blog Post

  Date / Time: 6/2/2009 11:33 AM UTC

  Incest: What is it? What are the long term effects? What the experts say & My Experience
  

  I seem to be finding a purpose at last for my life, my experience, my hope.
  It is every adults responsibility to protect children. I was unable to protect mine, or the dozens of lives affected by the perpetrators I did not report. I cannot change what was. Maybe I can help change what will be.
  
  

  Darkness To Light: Email 7 Steps To Protecting Children
  

  Or download the pdf and spread it around.
  
   DEFINITIONS OF INCEST:
  (RAINN.org) Incest is sexual contact between persons who are so closely related that their marriage is illegal (e.g., parents and children, uncles/aunts and nieces/nephews, etc.). This usually takes the form of an older family member sexually abusing a child or adolescent.
  
  < href="http://www.rainn.org/get-information/types-of-sexual-assault/child-sexual-abuseChild Sexual Abuse: sexual contact by force, trickery, or bribery where there is an imbalance in age, size, power, or knowledge."
  
  Contact Can Include:
  * Fondling
  * Obscene phone calls
  * Exhibitionism
  * Masturbation
  * Intercourse
  * Oral or anal sex
  * Prostitution
  * Pornography
  * Any other sexual conduct that is harmful to a child's mental, emotional, or physical welfare
  
  Additional Features
  * May consist of a single incident or many acts over a long period of time.
  * Abuse is more often perpetrated by someone known to the child.
  * Abuse may escalate over time, particularly if the abuser is a family member.
  
  Adult Reactions
  Many adults tend to overlook, to minimize, to explain away, or to disbelieve allegations of abuse. This may be particularly true if the perpetrator is a family member.
  
  NOTE:
  The absence of force or coercion does not diminish the abusive nature of the conduct, but, sadly, it may cause the child to feel responsible for what has occurred.
  
  Warning Signs:
  Physical Signs
  * Difficulty walking or sitting
  * Bloody, torn, or stained underclothes
  * Bleeding, bruises, or swelling in genital area
  * Pain, itching, or burning in genital area
  * Frequent urinary or yeast infections
  * Sexually Transmitted Infections, especially if under 14 years old
  * Pregnancy, especially if under 14 years old Behavioral Signs
  * Reports sexual abuse * Inappropriate sexual knowledge
  * Inappropriate sexual behavior
  * Nightmares or bed-wetting
  * Large weight changes/major changes in appetite
  * Suicide attempts or self-harming, especially in adolescents
  * Shrinks away or seems threatened by physical contact
  * Runs away * Overly protective and concerned for siblings, assumes a caretaker role
  * Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or Rape Trauma Syndrome symptoms Common Reactions
  * Withdrawal
  * Depression
  * Sleeping & eating disorders
  * Self-mutilation
  * Phobias
  * Psychosomatic symptoms (stomachaches, headaches)
  * School problems (absences, drops in grades)
  * Poor hygiene/excessive bathing
  * Anxiety
  * Guilt
  * Regressive behaviors - thumb-sucking, etc.
  
   OTHER RESOURCES: What should I do if I suspect my child is being sexually abused?
  Stop It Now: The Campaign to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse
  Childhelp
  USA Darkness to Light
  National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information
  National Children's Alliance
  National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
  National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA)
  National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center Effects Of Incest On Children:
  
  
  The Following is From Darkness To Light
  Step 1: Learn the Facts Learn the facts and understand the risks. Realities - not trust - should influence your decisions regarding children.
  "We live in a beautiful, safe neighborhood. None of these children could be victims of sexual abuse, right?"
  
  It is highly likely that you know a child who has been or is being abused.
  * Experts estimate that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before their 18th birthdays. This means that in any classroom or neighborhood full of children, there are children who are silently bearing the burden of sexual abuse.
  
  * 1 in 5 children are sexually solicited while on the Internet.
  * Nearly 70% of all reported sexual assaults (including assaults on adults) occur to children ages 17 and under.
  * The median age for reported sexual abuse is 9 years old.
  * Approximately 20% of the victims of sexual abuse are under age eight.
  * 50% of all victims of forcible sodomy, sexual assault with an object, and forcible fondling are under age twelve.
  * Most child victims never report the abuse.
  * Sexually abused children who keep it a secret or who "tell" and are not believed are at greater risk than the general population for psychological, emotional, social, and physical problems, often lasting into adulthood. It is also likely that you know an abuser. The greatest risk to children doesn't come from strangers but from friends and family.
  * 30-40% of children are abused by family members.
  * As many as 60% are abused by people the family trusts- abusers frequently try to form a trusting relationship with parents.
  * Nearly 40% are abused by older or larger children.
  * People who abuse children look and act just like every one else. In fact, they often go out of their way to appear trustworthy to gain access to children.
  * Those who sexually abuse children are drawn to settings where they can gain easy access to children, such as sports leagues, faith centers, clubs, and schools. �It can't happen in my family. I could tell if someone I know is an abuser.� Yet in more than 90% of sexual abuse cases the child and the child's family know and trust the abuser. Consequences to children and to our society begin immediately. Child sexual abuse is a direct source of a number of problems facing us.
  * 70-80% of sexual abuse survivors report excessive drug and alcohol use.
  * One study showed that among male survivors, 50% have suicidal thoughts and more than 20% attempt suicide.
  * Young girls who are sexually abused are more likely to develop eating disorders as adolescents.
  * More than 60% of teen first pregnancies are preceded by experiences of molestation, rape or attempted rape. The average age of the offenders is 27 years old.
  * Approximately 40% of sex offenders report sexual abuse as children.
  * Both males and females who have been sexually abused are more likely to engage in prostitution. * Approximately 70% of sexual offenders of children have between 1 and 9 victims; 20-25% have 10 to 40 victims.
  * Serial child molesters may have as many as 400 victims in their lifetimes.
  • Tags:
  • incest
  • sexual assault
  • child sexual abuse
  • effects of incest on
  • incest recovery
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