According to Dave Pelzer, author of A Child Called “it,” “Childhood should be carefree, playing in the sun; not living a nightmare in the darkness of the soul” (Pelzer, 1995, pg.98). Meaning, children should be able to enjoy their carefree lives and not worry about pain. Child Sexual Abuse is a very harrowing experience for many victims. As the child continues to develop though, the sexual abuse can have an enormous impact on their lives, to the extent sometimes that the child no longer realizes it. This is called normalization, according to the Southeast Center Against Sexual Assault and Violence,
Normalization of the survivors’ reactions to the abuse experience and the effects this has had on their psychological functioning, both historically …show more content…
It is during this time that one is mostly vulnerable. During one’s childhood their right is to feel safe, secure, and loved; however, for many children this is not the case, due to child abuse. There are four types of child abuse, they are physical, neglect, emotional, and sexual abuse. In the United States, on average four to seven children die every day, due to child abuse (Statistics, 2016). However, a type of child abuse that tends to be far more prevalent than people realize is child sexual abuse. Child sexual abuse is the act of an adult engaging a minor in a sexual act, (however, it can occur between two minors, as well) forcing, coercing, or persuading a child to engage in any sexual activity that can be contacted act or non-contacted act such as exhibitionism or exposure to pornography. In the United States, about one in 10 children will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday (Prevalence, 2013). Moreover, 60% of child sexual abuse victims never tell anyone (Statistics, 2013). The impact of child sexual abuse goes far beyond physical damage. Sometimes, the trauma that one carries matters for the rest of one’s …show more content…
Every victim of abuse responds to their trauma differently, however the overall symptoms that victims encounter are typically not as dissimilar. Signs of sexual abuse in childhood are a child being withdrawn and unhappy, bedwetting, sleeping problems, sexual behavior, language, or knowledge too advanced for their age, and most importantly sudden unexplained personality change (Signs, 2013). It is crucial that one watches out for these signs, because child sexual abuse is often difficult to determine, since children are better at showing than telling. In fact, for a child who is a victim of sexual abuse, this can be one of the most challenging things they can do in life, because they truly do not know any