lsws grant biography questions & answers about child sexual abuse

Questions & Answers About Child Sexual Abuse

What is child sexual abuse?

• Children sexual abuse include any sexually touching or assault on a child by any person, including parents and other family members, teachers, clergy, baby-sitters, neighbors, or strangers. Sexual abuse can also include exposing oneself, dressing provocatively to arouse sexual feelings in a child, or watching or taking pictures of a child in a sexually provocative way.

Is child sexual abuse really that big a problem?

• Statistics show that child sexual abuse occurs at an alarming rate. At least one in five girls and one in ten boys have been sexually abused before the age of eighteen according to most reliable studies of child sexual abuse in the United States. (Finkelhor, 1994)

Who are these abusers?

• The abuser is rarely the monster we imagine the corners of our playgrounds and parks. Nationally, 90% of the victims of child sexual abuse know their abusers -- they are typically the father, mothers, siblings, close relatives, friends, or other caretakers of children. Recent statistics who that 97% of the reported abusers are know to the child.

Are men the only people who sexually abuse children?

• 70% of the reported cases of child abuse are by adult men. Of the remaining cases, 25% of abusers are adolescent boys and girls and 5% of the reported cases are by adult women. These statistics are likely to change as more victims and survivors report abuse.

Can sex offenders ever be cured?

• With specialized treatment and adequate support groups, a sex offender who accepts full accountability for his or her crime can learn to control his or her abusive behavior. Like many other diseases and dysfunctions (e.g. alcoholism) we can not expect a cure, but we can expect control of behavior through a lifetime.

Are all sexual abusers the same and pose the same risk to re-offend?

• No, not all abusers are the same. Like any other population there is a wide range of behaviors and a variety of people who sexually abuse. children. With specialized treatment and full accountability for their crimes, many abusers can change and never offend again. However, child sexual abuse in any form is a crime and must be dealt with first through the legal system. We work to get everyone who wants to changed the best treatment available and help them never to hurt a child again.

Why do people sexually victimize children?

• People abuse children for a sense of power and a sense of pleasure. Abusers often become "hooked" on using children to achieve sexual arousal. They may seek children to abuse because they have had a long history of sexual attraction to children or because they took advantage of an opportunity to abuse a child in their trust. This is a hard concept to understand for many people. However, on understanding of the reasons a person abuses children and the feelings that led to this behavior are critical to reliable sex offender treatment.

How can we know our children are safe from a sex offender?

• Child sex offenders who have successfully completed specialized treatment and are in a recovery process will not seek contact with children. Sex offenders who have not received treatment and are not in recovery should be considered risky. We can have better assurance that our children are safe when we promote healthy sexual development for all people and educate ourselves about sexually abuse and abusers. This includes knowing the warning signs of abuser behavior and what to look our for in children.

What Can A Parent Do If They Believe Their Child Has Been Sexually Abused?

How should they respond? What should they say?

• One of the most important things a parent can do is respond in a calm and matter of fact manner. Listen to the words and feelings of the child and observe her or his body language. Try to find out what happened and reassure the child that he or she has done nothing wrong. Let the child know that you will do whatever you can to keep him or her safe. Many people are tempted to handle the disclosure on their own. However, there are resources throughout Canada that can help a family through this difficult situation. Furthermore, the sexual abuse of children is against the law. It is therefore important to seek professional help and not do this alone.

Is healing from sexual abuse possible for a child?

• Yes, healing from child sexual abuse is possible. We have many wonderful examples of children healing from the child abuse and living out caring and productive lives. Key to the healing process is the opportunity to deal dir3eectly with the abusive situation. Anyone responsible for an abused child should ensure adequate treatment for that child through private or public available programs.

Are there false reports or false accusations?

• The current media controversy over false reports stems primarily from parents who believe they are falsely accused of sexual abuse by their adult children. At issue for these parents is whether adults can recall from childhood which was previously forgotten. The media has also publicized allegations of sexual abuse in a variety of divorce proceedings. Together, these cases have raised questions regarding the reliability of reporting sexual abuse. This is not an easy topic for anyone. However, when we weight the number of false reports against the number of children who have been sexually abused, we know that we must not turn away out of fear of a false report. What we can learn from these cases is the importance of asking careful question and not jumping to conclusions without carefully weighting evidence. We must be able to respect every individual in each situation.