Sexual AbuseIt is very difficult for most people to talk about sexual abuse and even more difficult for society as a whole to acknowledge that sexual abuse happens everyday in the United States. It is not an easy phenomenon to define, primarily because permissible childhood behavior varies in accordance with cultural, family and social tolerances. Sexual abuse, which is 8% of all substantiated cases of child abuse, is defined as the forcing of unwanted sexual activity by one person on another, as by the use of threats or coercion. It is very important that sexual abuse be addressed as a public issue, mainly to add awareness to our society.
Every part of society is affected by sexual abuse, from children, to parents, to friends and family. The perpetration of the crime is usually done indiscriminately, woman and children are the main victims. There is an overwhelming epidemic of children being sexually abused in this country. The saddening part about it is that the person who is doing the abuse is usually a family member; a parent, sibling, or caregiver. These are prime example of why sexual abuse needs to be a public issue in society.
Personal Troubles is another issue dealing with Sexual Abuse. Most abusers were abused them selves in their own childhood. The reason for the abusers to do this violent act of crime is usually the lack of happiness in his or her life. Many exhibit a lack of empathy for their victims and often rationalize and minimize their behavior. Statistics show that abusing fathers had helped very little or not at all in taking care of their daughters during the first 3 years of their lives, while the non-abusing fathers had helped with child care.
These are all examples of personal troubles of sexual abuse. In conclusion, sexual abuse is addressed in many different forms and ways. It can be a public issue in which society is affected by it, or it can be a personal issue in which the victim is affected by it. All in all, sexual abuse needs to be tolerated and made a public issue to help stop and prevent this cowardly act. That is my paper on sexual abuse.
