Adults are Responsible for the Safety of Children

You can protect children.

We often teach kids how to keep themselves safe from sexual abuse, which is important for them to learn, but adult responsibility is paramount. We ensure that children wear safety belts in cars. We escort them carefully across busy roads. We keep dangerous household chemicals out of their grasp. How, then, can we justify leaving the job of sexual abuse prevention solely in the hands of children? Imagine how hard it can be for a child to say “no” to adults such as parents, teachers, clergy, or coaches.

Unfortunately, it's true that a large number of those who sexually abuse children are from this group of presumably trustworthy people. These adults have the chance to “groom” kids by showering them with attention and affection, making it difficult for these children to realize certain behaviors are indeed abuse. These predatory adults take advantage of the fact that children have been taught to obey or “mind” them. Placing the responsibility for child sexual abuse prevention on adults is essential.

This hub touches on only a small part of the complex dilemma of the sexual abuse of children. The information provided is not a substitute for the advice of professionals in the field of child abuse.

Sexual abuse of a child is:

• Any act, sexual in nature, either between a minor and an adult or between two minors when one exercises power over the other.
• An experience both traumatic and agonizing for its victims.
• Not just child molestation or child rape. Child sex abuse includes persuading, coercing or forcing a minor to participate in a sexual act of any sort, including sexual contact. Acts not involving contact including voyeurism, exhibitionism, exposure to pornographic material, and communicating in a sexual manner via the Internet or telephone.
• Illegal. A crime punishable to the fullest extent of the law.

Chances are that you know children who are being or have been abused.

• Experts estimate that 1 in 6 boys and 1 in 4 girls are abused sexually by the time of they turn 18. In any classroom or in any playground full of children, you can find kids living with the pain of sexual abuse.
• While using the internet, 1 in 5 children receive sexual solicitations.
• 70% of sexual assaults that do get reported (including those sexual assaults reported against adults) happen to kids under the age of 17.
• The median age for reported sexual abuse is 9 years old.
• 20% of sexually abused children are under the age of 9.
• 50% of all victims of sexual assault with an object, forcible fondling, and forcible sodomy are under the age of 12.
• The majority of child victims don't ever report the sexual abuse.
• Sexually abused children who keep the abuse secret, or those who do report it and are not believed by adults, are at a greater risk than their peers for developing emotional, social, physical, and psychological problems, often lasting into adulthood.

You most likely know a child abuser. Family and friends pose the greatest threat of child abuse to kids, not strangers.

• 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 everyone else. In fact, sexual abusers often go out of their way to appear trustworthy to gain access to children.
• In more than 90% of sexual abuse cases the child and the child’s family know and trust the abuser.
• 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.

Societal consequences begin rapidly. Child sexual abuse is directly related to a great many issues facing us today.

• 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 and sexually abusing children themselves.
  
• Approximately 70% of sexual offenders of children have between 1 and 9 victims; 20-25% have 10 to 40 victims.
  
• Serial pedophile child molesters may have as many as 400 victims in their lifetime.