The Bottom Line
As of 1987, at least 39 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse existed in America.
As of 1997, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 6 men had been sexually abused before the age of 18.
In 1997, 1,054,000 children were confirmed by child protective services agencies (CPS) as victims of some form of abuse (15 out of every 1000 US children).
As of 2000, 70% of all reported sexual assaults occurred to children ages 17 and under.
Studies conducted from 2001-2003 showed that only 10% of childhood victims were abused by strangers.
In 1995, nearly 50% of women in prison and over 75% of serial rapists stated that they were abused as children.
An average serial child molester may have as many as 400 victims in his or her lifetime.
Over 100 individual studies conducted over the past 30 years have yielded similar if not the exact same results.
What does this mean?
We teach our children about “Stranger Danger.” We teach them about “Bad Touch- Good Touch.” We tell them to scream, run away, and call 911.
We’ve taught them the same things for years.
But nothing has changed.
Kids in early development may not be able to process what is happening to them in enough time to do anything to stop it. So why do we focus on their education instead of our own? Since when is it our children’s job to protect themselves? As I was growing up, I don’t remember much being said to me about sexual abuse past the age of 7 or 8. Some people I’ve spoken to don’t remember hearing about it at all.
Why so taboo?
What is everybody afraid of?
What could talking about it hurt?
Could we possibly be scared to discover that we are just not doing enough?
The Reality
The reality is that roughly 20% of all Americans have been sexually abused as children, but you may be under the impression that you don’t know any of these people.
After reviewing the statistics, do you think you’re right?
These facts only include what has previously been reported. In reality, the numbers are much more significant. I have personally known at least 20 survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Only one of them ever reported any of it.
But let us set aside the real number for a moment and assume that there actually are only 20% of us. Wouldn’t that be 20% of all of us? Then that means 20% of all School Administrators and Board Members, 20% of Government Officials, and 20% of Voters have at one time been victimized.
Imagine the impact that could have on our society.
Imagine the impact it has had on our society.
Get Ready
Have you ever wondered why this is kept as such a carefully guarded secret? Are you aware of what signs to look for in both children and adults? Some of you have already been introduced to the various red flags that indicate a child may have been abused. When you first heard them, do you remember feeling like all of a sudden, things made sense? Like maybe that feeling in your gut wasn’t completely off base after all?
Then why isn’t this information everywhere? Why must we seek it out? Everyday, we see commercials and billboards alerting us to the dangers of smoking marijuana, but nothing about watching out for the safety of our kids.
Isn’t it a little strange that at a drop of a hat, we can list 3 or 4 signs that someone is high, but we can’t see that the child standing right in front of us has been molested?
Isn’t it about time to reevaluate the way we approach this issue? If the statistics haven’t changed, then clearly the actions we’ve taken in the last 30 years have had little to no effect.
I encourage you to start thinking outside the box. This is not a problem that will eventually solve itself. And with the uphill battle ahead of us, it’s going to take an incredibly massive public stand to make any noticeable difference. I hope that as you have read this, it has opened your eyes. And for those whose eyes were already open, I hope you begin to take action. Learn a little bit more everyday. Search for your own answers. Speak out when you notice that things are happening to the children around you. Remember that although people may not yet be ready to hear it, this desperately needs to be said.
Because It’s Time
If 39 million childhood sexual abuse survivors were living in America in 1987, how many do you think are among us now? And how much of this do you think could have been prevented?
Don't fool yourself. Think about the children you know. Acknowledge the possibility. If you don't take notice now, it will only make it harder for them to heal.
At some point, we have to decide that enough is enough. We have to learn how to trust our instincts. How to change the patterns of behavior that have kept us repeatedly placing ourselves and our loved ones in danger. Because we simply have no other choice.
Take the risk.
I promise it will be worth it.
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References
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/ace/prevalence.htm ACE Study - Prevalence - Adverse Childhood Experiences
Finkelhor, D., Mitchell, K., & Wolak, J. (2001, March). Highlights of the youth internet safety survey. US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
U.S. Department of Justice (2001). Internet crimes against children. OVC Bulletin. Washington, DC: US Depar tment of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime.
Abel, G., Becker, J., Mittelman , M., Cunningham- Rathner, J., Rouleau, J., & Murphy, W. (1987). Self reported sex crimes on non-incarcerated paraphiliacs. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2(1), 3-25.
Snyder, H N. (2000). Sexual assault of young children as reported to law enforcement: Victim, incident, and offender characteristics. National Center for Juvenile Justice, U.S. Depar tment of Justice.
Kilpatrick, D., Saunders, B., & Smith, D. (2003). Youth victimization: Prevalence and implications. U.S. Depar tment of Justice, National Institute of Justice report.
Abel, G. & Harlow, N. (2001). Stop child molestation book. Abel and Harlow.
Elliott, M., Browne, K., & Kilcoyne, J. (1995). Child sexual abuse prevention: What offenders tell us.Child Abuse & Neglect, 5, 579-594.
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