By: Divyanshi Singh
Sexual abuse is an extremely traumatic experience that is not only scarring but also life-altering. It has been found that adolescents are at a higher risk of sexual abuse than any other age group. This is the time when they begin to discover themselves and form an identity. Sexual abuse affects emotional, social and psychological development profoundly.
What is sexual abuse?
Sexual abuse is any act of sexual contact that a person suffers, submits to, participates in, or performs as a result of force or violence, threats, fear, or deception or without having legally consented to the act.
It includes-
● Attempted rape
● Fondling or unwanted sexual touching
● Forcing a victim to perform sexual acts.
Statistics and Data
1. One in 9 girls and 1 in 20 boys under the age of 18 experience sexual abuse. 2. Females aged 16-19 are 4 times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault.
3. More than 370 million girls and women alive today – or 1 in 8 – experienced rape or sexual assault before the age of 18. (UNICEF,2024)
4. 33% of teens in the United States are victims of sexual, physical,verbal, or emotional dating abuse.
5. About 30% of the perpetrators are relatives or known acquaintances. 6. Every 9 minutes, Child Protective Services substantiates or finds evidence for a claim of child sexual abuse. (RAINN, n.d)
7. 90% of all abuse goes undetected.
Psychological and Emotional Impact
Adverse psychological impacts are reported by victims, both during teenage and adulthood. They may experience:
1. Anxiety disorders
2. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
3. Depression
4. Eating disorders, particularly Bulimia Nervosa
5. Sleep disruption and insomnia
6. Substance abuse
7. Suicidal behaviour
8. Feelings of self-blame and low self-esteem
Social Impact
● Poor school attendance- Poor attendance was twice as likely at 1 year than 6 weeks after the assault. Poor school attendance led to worse performance at school, which in turn increased anxiety and sleep problems.
● Delinquency and crime-Delinquency and crime, often stemming from substance abuse, are more prevalent in adolescents with a history of child sexual abuse. Adult survivors are also more likely to become involved in crime, both as a perpetrator and as a victim.
● Teen pregnancy- Teenage girls’ bodies are still developing, and pregnancy can place a strain on their health. They may be more prone to complications such as preterm labor, eclampsia, gestational diabetes, and high blood pressure. There may also be physical trauma that is part of the abuse itself, such as injuries or infections that need medical care. These endanger both the health of the teen and the baby.
● Social exclusion- Survivors may internalize feelings of shame or guilt, even though they are not at fault for the abuse. This shame is often aggravated by societal attitudes that blame victims or misunderstand the nature of sexual violence. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to these feelings, as peer relationships and social acceptance are crucial to their self-esteem and identity.
Long Term Consequences
Sexual abuse can affect teenager’s psychosocial development and attachment across different relationships in both childhood and adulthood. In the long term, sexual abuse can negatively impact relationship satisfaction, stability, and emotional investment.’Traumatic sexualization’ is the inappropriate development of sexuality, sexual feelings, and attitudes. (Child Sexual Abuse Centre, n.d) This is also one of the long-term effects of sexual abuse. This can affect an individual’s sense of sexual satisfaction, sexual feelings, and sexual actions. Victim-survivors may experience difficulties with some aspects of parenting. These include having trouble setting boundaries between themselves and their children, being overly permissive as parents and using physical discipline, struggling with attachment and doubting their parental skills, and – particularly for men – feeling fearful that they will abuse their children.
Real-life testimonies
1. “I’m a huge advocate for people to be trauma informed. If someone tells you they’ve been abused, believe them. If it’s too much for you to handle, find someone else who can help.”(RAINN, n.d)
2.“Everyone was trying to make me do what they thought would help me. People were trying to force me to act in a certain way, but my sister didn’t. Because of that, she truly gave me my voice back.” (RAINN, n.d)
3. Helping as a bystander- “I looked around saying to myself, Why is nobody intervening? Then I realized, I’m the bystander guy! I’ve facilitated dozens of trainings for students and communities on how to intervene in these types of situations. It dawned on me that I needed to do something.” (Sex Abuse Treatment Centre, n.d)
4.“You are not a victim, you are a victory. Remember— you’ve made it through 100% of your bad days. You made it this far, you can keep going.” (RAINN, n.d)
REFERENCES
RAINN. (n.d) Teenage survivors. RAINN.
Child Sexual Abuse Centre. (n.d.). Impacts of child sexual abuse. Child Sexual Abuse Centre. https://www.csacentre.org.uk/research-resources/key-messages/impacts-of-child-sexual-abuse/
Sex Abuse Treatment Center. (n.d.). Stories & testimonials. Sex Abuse Treatment Center. https://satchawaii.org/about-sexual-violence/stories-testimonials/
UNICEF. (2024, October 9). Over 370 million girls and women globally subjected to rape or sexual assault as children. UNICEF.
https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/over-370-million-girls-and-women-globally-subjected-rape -or-sexual-assault-children
Banvard-Fox, C., Linger, M., Paulson, D. J., Cottrell, L., & Davidov, D. M. (2020). Sexual Assault in Adolescents. Primary care, 47(2), 331–349
National Institute for Health and Care Research. (2022, September 23). Sexual assault and the lasting effects on teenagers’ mental health and education. National Institute for Health and Care Research.
https://evidence.nihr.ac.uk/alert/sexual-assault-lasting-effects-teenagers-mental-health-educatio n/
RAINN. (n.d.). Children and teens. RAINN.
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