Child sexual abuse
All of the abuses that we commit as human beings are bad, but when these hurt defenseless, unaware, or innocent people, this turns them into something terrible. That is the case with sexual abuse against boys and girls, as well as adolescents.
A report by UNICEF indicates that around the world, 1 in 4 children have been victims of sexual violence (in general it is said that 1 in every 4 girls and 1 in every 6 boys can become victims of secual abuse). According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), in this country there is sexual aggression taking place every 98 seconds. One out of every sex women and one out of every 33 men have been victims of rape or the attempt of it. (Besides, not all sexual abuse is reported, which increases the statistics).
Many people think that this is something that won’t happen to their children, since they think that this takes places in lower economic levels, but it’s more common than we think and it could be very close.
Sexual abuse can cause trauma in children and young people, low self-esteem, health problems and low school performance. It can also lead to depression, drug and alcohol abuse, self-inflicted pain and even suicide.
One of the saddest, and at the same time most frustrating, issues is that it is known that the majority of these violations are committed by someone who the victim knows.
The advice in order to prevent this type of action is based on taking good care of children, talking to them about the issue, making sure they know it’s wrong and that no one can touch them or take photos of them, if they don’t want it. Teaching them to say no when it comes to intimacy and to not accept money, candy or toys in exchange for strange actions. If your child confesses that something is happening, take his/her side, listen to him/her, and believe him/her regardless of how unbelievable the act seems, or the person that did it.
Be careful with what they watch on television and what they look at on the internet, set filter and frequently check what they are watching.
Sometimes parents are the last ones to find out. If you notice people committing strange or impermissible acts, report them, let the parents know, surely they will be thankful.
