170 preventing child sexual abuse
Sexual abuse causes lasting harm
Sexual abuse harms a child at the moment when the abuse happens and
can continue to harm a victim throughout his or her life. This is especially
true if a child is unable to talk about the abuse or receive help, support,
and treatment.
Lasting physical harm
Lasting physical harm can be caused by sexually transmitted infections
(STIs). An abuser can infect a child with HIV/AIDS and hepatitis, which
cannot be cured. Other STIs, if left untreated, can cause future problems
with pregnancy, cancer, and death from severe infection. Children who
get STIs from sexual abuse often do not show any signs and so they do not
get treatment.
Damage to a child’s development
Children who have been abused sexually are likely
to feel a great deal of guilt, shame, and anger.
Many victims of sexual abuse are unable to trust other
people. Victims are also likely to have poor
self-esteem — they feel they are not valuable and not
worthy of being treated with respect.
Cycles of abuse
Children who have been abused sexually may continue to be abused
by others throughout their lives. Because of their experience of abuse
as children, they may grow up to believe that sex is the only way to get
affection or security. Being treated badly and being abused sexually can
become a pattern in their lives.
Also, without support and help to heal
from the abuse, boys who have
been abused may become abusers
themselves when they grow older.
This cycle of abuse creates another
generation of victims and future
offenders.
The harm caused by child sexual
abuse is not just to children
and their families, but to entire
communities. For example, people
who are unfairly shamed and isolated
because of sexual abuse can sometimes
become destructive or violent, or turn to alcohol or drug abuse.
Helping Children Who Are Deaf (2004)