FREE ESSAY ON SEXUAL ABUSE

SEXUAL ABUSE

Sexual Abuse
The impact of sexual abuse reaches all levels of a childs emotions. These emotions and
the effects are listed below: Confusion: This is usually the initial reaction of the
child. They will usually question, What is going on? and  Is this right or wrong?. For a
young child these types of questions can be an emense burden on their physcological
development. Once the abuse begins the victim experience a tremnedous conflict with their
emotions. They feel pleasant due to the attention they are recieving from the parent, as
well as the sensual pleasure. On the other hand they experience pain, guilt, and anger
for what is being done. The question, Is this right or wrong? posses the greatest
conflict within the childs mind. The abuse feels so wrong yet the abuser insits it is
okay, taking advantage of the childs mistrust and naivety. Below are the thoughts of an
abused victim as she thinks back to her abuse and questions her father. It is an example
of this mistrust as well as the confusion which goes through a childs mind. Since I was a
little ten year old child, I had to deceive and hide from the world and my mother that my
father tooka sexual interest in me. Remember how you taught me that art of deceit? First
you put me in a situation that had to be kept a secret then you pledged me to
secrecy...As a tenold child, what was I supposed to do? You are an intelligent man you
figure out the options available to a ten year old in that position. (Rush, 1980) The
abused will feel tremendous guilt for a numerous reasons: They feel they did nothing to
stop the abuse therefore they are responsible and it should continue. They felt
uncomfortable but the abuse was sometimes pleasureable. They somehow deserved and/or
caused the abuse. A victim will usually feel this way when their self?esteem has
diminshed and they have no more answers for what is happenning. A nine year old girl had
a nightmare and went to her fathers room for comfort but instead he sexually abused her.
The girl then concluded that she caused the abuse by going to his room. The abuse
thereafter continued and she now felt she deserved for it to continue. (Landau, 1990)
This fictional example helps to further illustrate the final 2 points which were
presented above. The guilt hits the child so hard that they are unable to clearly see
reality. Another major source of guilt comes from the mother. Often when the mother is
told about the abuse she will not want to believe the accusations and will blame the
child. Other reasons for why the mother may pass guilt: 1) she may feel inequipped to
challange the husbands domination in any area of life therefore she shes passes the
husbands faults and looks at the child. 2) The mother doesn't want to lose her husband.
She does not want to give up the security provided by her husband and will block out the
abuse.