Sexual Abuse And Incest Essay, Research Paper

Sexual abuse has been defined as sexual exploitation or sexual activities of children. It is not simply a clinical problem or a legal problem, but a social problem, which affects thousands of Canadian children every year. In fact, one in four girls and one in seven boys are sexually abused before the age of 18. (looksmart.com) One form of sexual abuse includes incest, which is any sexual activity between blood relatives. (yahoo.com) This can range from a child s parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and step-relatives. (Miller & Kelly page 1)

Perpetrators come in many different types and personalities and are most often someone the child knows and trusts. Usually the perpetrator has easy access to the child because he/she has sole responsibility for the child, or takes care of or visits the child, and is trusted by the child s parents. (McGuire & Grant, page 5) Only 28% of child molesters are actually strangers. (msn.com) Many sexual offenders seek an ongoing relationship with a child. The use of physical force is rarely necessary to engage a child into sexual activity because children are trusting and dependent. They want to please others and gain love and approval. Children are taught not to question authority and they believe that adults are always right. Perpetrators of child abuse know this, which is why it s so easy for them to take advantage of them. (McGuire & Grant, Page 5; yahoo.com)

Incest between an adult and a related child or adolescent is now recognized as the most prevalent form of child sexual abuse and has the greatest potential for damage to the child. Some examples of physical indicators of sexual abuse are, difficulty walking or sitting, stained or bloody underwear, bleeding, bruising and itching around the genitals. (msn.com)

They re many different personalities that are associated with incestuous behaviours. The first personality is the Dependent Parent. The dependent father usually feels sorry for him-self and cannot do things for himself so he depends on everyone else in the household to take care of him. He has problems dealing with stress and does not have many friends. The next is the Tyrant. The tyrannical father wants total control over everything and everyone in the household. The tyrant also abuses his wife, which has stopped her from interfering in his life. The Sociopath is someone who has trouble functioning in society; he views the outside world as a hostile enemy. This type of person is often brutal and violent, and may have engaged in criminal behaviour. The pedophile is someone who is sexually attracted to young people. Pedophiles generally begin abusing their children at young ages and do not always limit their activities to their own children. They do not need emotional trauma or excessive stress to trigger incestuous behaviour.

(Miller and Kelly, pages 25-32)

Some families are at greater risk of having a sexual offender with in the household. Families such as, stepfamilies, one-parent families, large families, substance abusers, rigid families and passive dependent mothers have more potential for sexual abuse to increase. In families separated by divorce, sexual assaults by the father often occur during visitation times. This does not mean that it happens in all families, but in some families it may just be a vulnerable time. In large families, not everyone gets along well, which could cause the household members to be more prone to physical violence and has more of a possibility for sexual abuse. In passive or rigid families, where the roles of both sexes are not equal, the family can become very emotional at times and could sometimes lead to one of the parents to incestuous behaviour. (Miller and Kelly, pages 42-45) In one case, involving a stepfather, an eighteen year-old girl testified that the abuse began when she was eleven years old in 1994, when her stepfather started to remove her top. Only this year did the stepfather get two years for sexual assault. (Jake Rupert, 2001)

Although all types of sexual abuse have an impact upon the child, it is believed that incest between a parent and a child is the most traumatic. (msn.com) There are several for reasons for that. Children depend on their parents for physical and economic support as well as psychological and emotional support. Mothers and fathers, as responsible parents, provide a home, food, medical care, clothing, and everything else needed for physical survivor. The abusive parent is violating the child s trust and abusing the power of his or her position in the household and taking away the right the son or daughter has for a normal childhood. (looksmart.com)

Incest between father and daughter is defined as sexual activity between a biological father, adoptive father, stepfather, or a surrogate father and a female child in his care. Girls who have been molested by their fathers frequently display one of two types behaviour. Either they become frightened of men or become promiscuous and have many sexual partners. The incest often begins with the father exposing his genitals and then slowly convinces the daughter to touch them, then tries to convince her that everything will be okay. Normally a father who engages in incestuous behaviour with his daughter has trouble dealing with adult relationships. In an adult/child relationship, the father has no need to negotiate because he is in the position of power. Father/son incest usually involves the father physically abusing the son as well. It is not uncommon for a father that has been convicted for sexual abuse to claim that he was so drunk at the time that he does not remember anything. Incestuous mothers often have no husband and are alone with the children. Often she has been abused by men and feels more secure in a relationship with her child. Sometimes mothers who physically abuse their children also have sexual relationships with them. Cases of mother/son incest are very rare but they do happen, and it is usually because the mother feels lonely with out a husband so she uses her son as a substitute. Incest between brother and sister tend to occur in families where the father is not present or is not the dominant figure but it does and can occur in other families as well. Boys often engage is sex play as part of the normal learning process. Some sexual activity between siblings is simply a matter of normal sexual curiosity, but not always. The older sibling will often use techniques like giving candy to the younger sibling or other special privileges. Grandfather/Grandchild incest usually occurs when grandfathers take advantage of the affection and respect that comes with their position. Some grandfathers who sexually abuse their grandchildren also abused their own children when they were younger. A grandfather who results is sexual activity with their grandchild often feel vulnerable towards society for aging, may have been forced to retire, his wife already past away and the rest of the family treats him as if he is less competent than a regular adult. Grandmother and grandchild incest does occur but it is not as common as grandfather/grandchild. Relationships between uncles and nieces are generally quite different from that of a child and a parent or a child and a grandparent. Uncles do not usually live with in the household but are trusted by both parents and have easy access to the child. Uncles are the third most often reported sexual abusers after stepfathers and grandfathers. There are other types of incest that can also occur. Sexually abusive cousins, brothers-in-law or more distant relatives often feel as if they have more power, which means they can easily take advantage of others.

(Miller & Kelly pages 51-73)

Boys can easily be victims of sexual abuse just like girls, although boys are less likely to report the incident. (yahoo.com) It is said that boy s experiences are somewhat different from girls and that they usually do not involve family members. (Finkelhor, 1979) The Girls are socialized to be passive, which makes them more vulnerable to various kinds of victimization, whereas boys are socialized to be aggressive. Most of the boys who report sexual abuse, however, seem to wait until they have become adolescents. This is because when they are older they feel more secure about being able to defend themselves. Often a boy who has been sexually abused by his father or another male relative does not report the abuse for fear as being labelled a homosexual. Although the majority of boys keep the abuse a secret, there are such cases where they report the event. (Miller & Kelly, page 75; yahoo.com)

One case in particular that did involve the boys reporting the situation is where an ex-scout leader was charged for pleading guilty to sex charges against his scout troopers. The leader would invite some of the boys from the troop back to his home and get them drunk while watching X-rated videos. He would suggest playing sexual games such as strip blackjack. (Don Campbell, 2001)

In our society it is considered more acceptable for an older man to have sex with a younger female than an older woman to have sex with a younger male. Therefore, if a boy has been sexually abused by his mother he may not report the abuse for fear of being labelled as mentally ill for having sex with her. (Miller & Kelly, page 83)

According to The secret Trauma study, 95% of perpetrators of girls are men and 80% of perpetrators are of boys are men. (McClendon, 1991) This also shows that the majority of perpetrators are men. Characteristics that offenders sometimes have in common are dependent, inadequate individuals with early family histories characterized by conflict, disruption, abandonment and exploitation. Approximately 80% of all perpetrators were sexually abused themselves as children. This makes sense because once a child is sexually abused; it has a horrible effect on them, which causes them to suffer from devastating psychological breakdowns. (McGuire & Grant, page 7)

Sex offenders come in all shapes and sizes, from any part of society and can be of any sexual preference. It is important to remember that it is always the offender that is 100% responsible for the abuse and that it is never the victim s fault. The perpetrator can be a person a child trusts and loves the most and the abuse can come unexpectedly to the people around the abuser and the victim. Sexual abuse makes sexual abusers; therefore we should all help and put an end to the amount of predators in our society.