Unfortunately, becoming a victim of sexual assault is a very real possibility in our society. Statistics say that as many as one in four women will be a victim at one point in their life. However, studies have also shown that women who have had some type of self defense training have only a 1 in 25 chance of being assaulted. This is because women who have some type of defensive or avoidance training tend to be more cognizant of warning signs, they avoid areas where trouble is likely, and they… Continue

Child sexual abuse for most victims is an experience that is both traumatic and confusing. Most of them find it hard to accept what really happened to them, and that's why most end up having behavioral and psychological problems in the long run. Experts contend that counseling and therapy help the victims move on and heal the wounds of the abuse. However, the first crucial part of the healing process is really about telling the sexual abuse story.



It is quite common for a lot of… Continue

Sexual assault can happen to both men and women of any age and include groping and inappropriate touching; vaginal, anal, or oral penetration; rape and attempted rape; and child molestation. Sexual assault and abuse can also include more subtle actions, such as derogatory name-calling, refusal to use contraception, deliberately causing unwanted physical pain during sex, and deliberately passing on sexual diseases or infections. indecent…

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Many families do not want to believe their child is being sexually abused even if the signs of child sexual abuse are staring them straight in the face. Unfortunately many families are in a similar situation where both parents are working full time and someone other than the biological parents are caring for their children. Under these circumstances the potential for child sexual abuse is more prevalent. Obviously under these circumstances it is tremendously important for parents to watch…

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The unbelievable reality is that a person who sexually abuses children may seem very average and ordinary to the world. He/she may be a leader in the church, in the community or in business, a sports coach, scout leader, or celebrity. Sex offenders do not fit a classic stereotype and are not necessarily uneducated, unemployed, impoverished or an alcoholic.

The majority of people find sexual abuse and incest even more difficult to believe or accept when the sex offender is someone they…

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Sexual abuse of children takes many forms. It is not solely the traditional view of a male parent having intercourse with a frightened and unwilling daughter; it is much wider than that. Sexual abuse takes place when one person uses their power to obtain sexual gratification from another. It may include watching (e.g. leering), touching, inappropriate commenting, as well as more overt sexual contact which may or may not lead to penetration.

The following is a list of things that you…

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Sexual assault or rape can be defined as verbal, visual, or physical abuse that forces a person to consent to sexual contact or attention. It can happen in any number of different situations, by a stranger in an isolated place, on a date, or in the home by someone you are familiar with. Some rapist use drugs to take away a person’s ability to defend themselves.

Rape or sexual assault is a crime that most often involves a female victim, and a male attacker. It is a violation of the…

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There are many teenage relationship dangers. One of the most common dangers is that of sexual assault. Many use the terms "sexual assault" and "rape" in an interchangeable manner. However, these are two distinct sex crimes. Rape is a word that is used to describe sexual intercourse that is forced. Sexual assault is a term that is used to describe any type of sexual activity that is considered to be non-consensual. This means that there is not an agreement between the person committing sexual…

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What is Sexual Abuse: Sexual abuse happens anytime a child is asked, tricked, or forced by someone who is bigger, stronger, or older, or by someone who has some power over him/her. The abuser will want the child to do "secret" non-touching or "secret" touching activities that involve the child's private parts, the abuser's private parts, or the private parts of someone else.

The child will often feel the urge to tell, but he or she knows it's a secret - not a fun secret that makes…

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What are some common things one would see in people who've survived sexual abuse? While there is no definite or uniform profile of a victim of child sexual abuse, there are many indicators that a person is a survivor. Finding out if an adult or grown up is a victim of sexual abuse during his/her childhood is very difficult since most indicators may already have been overcome. But by looking at an adolescent or teenage respondent, the signs of abuse are very fresh and obvious:…

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Why haven't we, as a society, been aware of this problem? Most probably because women have been idealized as mothers and nurturers they haven't been viewed as sexual aggressors. And because they are caretakers and are expected to be emotional, warm and physical with children, no one notices or suspects them. Sexual abuse by women is rarely reported because their victims usually are their own children - who are dependent on them. Furthermore, these children either do not understand what is…

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Instead they thought something is wrong with them and with their way of thinking. They became angry and frustrated with themselves for being depressed without obvious reasons, having anxiety attacks that don't make any sense, and for being 'utterly defective'. What some professionals easily overlook is that the 'average' person does not link her/his emotional state today to experiences they had 30 years ago and which they might have partly forgotten.

When health professionals do not…

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Research also found that "women and men are at risk... perpetrators are predominantly men and usually known rather than strangers" plus "a significant increase in the proportion of cases of abuse of men with learning disabilities reported" was noted. However, despite increased awareness/information on adult abuse, service agencies have not developed coordinated systems for reporting or recording sexual abuse.

Children have an innate knowledge of their sexuality on their own scale of…

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A number of victims will have communication difficulties whilst others fear disbelief; further, feelings of guilt and shame or a lack of approachable and trustworthy people to whom they can discuss abuse especially where abusers are within positions of trust/authority will be likely to impact upon disclosure. Mencap write that abusers tend to be male and work hard to gain positions of trust, seeking employment in areas where vulnerable people are likely to rely solely or mainly on carers;…

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A big obstacle to recovery is that often survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA) do not know that the problems they have are related to past experiences of CSA. In fact, in my research 60% of the participants did not link their mental health problems to their history of sexual abuse. They were completely unaware of the significant impact sexual abuse had in their emotional, physical, and mental life.

Instead they thought something is wrong with them and with their way of thinking. They…

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A big obstacle to recovery is that often survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA) do not know that the problems they have are related to past experiences of CSA. In fact, in my research 60% of the participants did not link their mental health problems to their history of sexual abuse. They were completely unaware of the significant impact sexual abuse had in their emotional, physical, and mental life.

Instead they thought something is wrong with them and with their way of thinking. They…

Continue

Beware of anyone who wants to be with your children more than you do. It surrounds us; everywhere. It acknowledges no boundaries, geographic or cultural. It's insidious and, at its extreme, life threatening. Fighting it is ridiculously simple, yet inexplicably avoided. Child sexual abuse is a criminal behavior that has always been with us and unfortunately always will.

As with overcoming the social reluctance to discuss cancer in the 1960's, alcohol and drug addiction in the 1970s,…

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