CHILD RAPE & ABUSE
ARE THEY SAFER IN THE PARK WITH STRANGERS??

STATISTICS.

1 in 3 girls have been or will be abused before they reach 18yrs.
(Childline)

1 in 5 boys have been or will be abused before they reach 18yrs.
(Childline)

85 - 90% of children who have been sexually abused KNOW their perpetrators.
(Childline)

21% of children are abused by their biological father. (Teddy Bear Clinic)

Tragically, most cases of INCEST go unreported, so the full extent of
INCEST statistics remains unrecorded.

FACT # 1 - INCEST is a silent crime.

INTRODUCTION.
INCEST is rarely reported.
INCEST is much more than the transgression of a child's body and soul; it
is the absolute betrayal of their trust in the very people who are supposed
to be their protectors and caretakers.
Physical force and/or severe threats are used to take advantage of
children, disabling the child from calling out for help. Shame and terror
work well together to keep children silent. Children become frightened
thinking that they may lose their parents' love, or think that they may be
responsible for breaking up the family.
Perhaps a child's biggest fear is telling and then not being believed -
that is enough to keep most children quiet. Abusers become experts at
manipulating a child's thoughts and emotions.
While children suffer the sexual abuse, perhaps the most severe form of
their abuse is their loyalty and love of their abusers.
Children are frequently taught not to question authority and may believe
that adults are always right. Perpetrators of sexual abuse know this and
take advantage of these vulnerabilities in children.
INCEST is an abuse of power over a child and a violation of a child's right
to normal, healthy, and trusting relationships.

INCEST AND THE LAW.

The law in South Africa does not include the full spectrum definition of
INCEST that many other Countries and States have embraced.

INCEST in South Africa is restricted to "the intra-familial sexual abuse of
children within the nucleus family".
The above definition of INCEST identifies the perpetrators as being
immediate/extended family members, including fathers, mothers,
grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, stepfamily members, and siblings.
Blood relationships and the DNA link alone however, DO NOT represent and
accurate description of INCEST perpetrators.

If we are to accurately define INCEST, we must not just look at the blood
bond, but the EMOTIONAL bond between victim and perpetrator. The new
definition of INCESTIOUS perpetration must take into consideration that
INCEST, unlike abuse by a stranger, violates and ongoing BOND OF TRUST
between a child and a "caretaker".

Therefore, it is strongly recommended by Women + Men Against Child Abuse
that persons in loco parentis be included in the definition and prosecution
of persons between whom INCEST is possible.

In other words "parenting figures" other than biological parents or blood
relatives, such as, for example, caregivers, teachers, child minders, baby
sitters, doctors, guardians, clergy, foster parents and adoptive parents be
included.

FACT # 2 - INCEST within the family circle is one of the most catastrophic
crimes a person can commit.

WHAT IS INCEST?
The core issues of INCEST are; power and control over a child by someone
who needs to feel in control sexually.
Such behaviour always involves a betrayal of the child's trust.
INCESTUOUS acts can be physical, verbal, or emotional and can include
sexual touching and fondling, oral, anal, or vaginal penetration, having
children pose undressed or perform in a sexual fashion on film or in
person.
INCEST involves forcing, bribing, threatening or pressuring a child into
sexual activity or awareness.
INCESTUOUS behaviour is not confined to sexual intercourse.
INCEST can include nudity, disrobing, genital exposure, inappropriate
kissing, fondling, digital penetration, and sodomy.
INCEST happens in families of every ethnic, social, and economic
background.

FACT # 3 - INCEST forever changes how children see, feel, and relate to the
world around them.

EFFECTS OF INCEST ON AN INNOCENT CHILD.
INCEST survivors struggle with shame, guilt, and a distortion of
self-worth. The fact is, for children, INCEST results in confusion,
repulsion, and severance from the soul. The lives of children who have been
sexually abused will be altered permanently. Much of the child's energy
will be tied up in merely surviving and coping with the abuse and living a
life with the effects of emotional and physical distress.

CHILDREN WHO HAVE BEEN SEXUALLY ABUSED HAVE HAD THEIR INNOCENCE DESTROYED.

INCEST often manifests in emotional issues such as chronic depression,
anxiety, guilt, shame, physical ailments, emotional numbness, eating
disorders, addictions, dissociation disorders, self-abuse, suicide
attempts, anger, hostility, inappropriate sexual behaviour, feeling
revolted, poor self-esteem, having an aversion to "healthy" sex,
difficulties with relationships, as well as incidents of re-victimization.
Most children feel damaged, stigmatised, powerless, helpless, and hopeless.
These problems cause MOMENTOUS disruptions in the child's life.
It is necessary to see and understand these ramifications not as pathology,
but as adaptations, which will later develop into dysfunctional
repercussions well into adulthood.

Perpetrators of abuse do not receive the "LIFE SENTENCE" children survivors
suffer!

Perpetrators do not suffer the same fate!

COMMON ADULT REPECUSSIONS OF BEING INCESTIOUSLY ABUSED AS A CHILD.
Depression and anxiety are the most common psychological pathologies INCEST
survivors' display. Survivors are overwhelmed by self-blame and struggle
with low self-esteem.
Frequently INCEST survivors will self-abuse. INCEST fills the survivor with
so much guilt and shame that they want to perpetuate the abuse on
themselves because they feel they deserve nothing less.
Adult survivors are plagued with flashbacks, intrusive memories,
nightmares, and night terrors.

This often results in insomnia and sleep deprivation causing an increase in
both emotional and the physical symptoms.
Many survivors become distanced from their past and repress the INCESTIOUS
incident for years, sometimes decades.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is also a common symptom that
survivors display. Survivors often suffer alterations between numbing and
denial.
Addictions to drugs, alcohol, and food are common, as are compulsive
spending or gambling.
Children who were INCESTIOUSLY abused may face sexual dysfunction and have
trouble forming a healthy adult sexual connection.

CONCLUSION.

Ø Children learn that within the midst of extreme violence, pain,
shame, and sexual violation that there is no hope.

Ø Children lose their innocence at an early age and learn that abuse
is the price of love!

Are you going to allow this "lesson" to perpetuate?

Please don't!




Written & Researched by:
Rana Eschur
Marketing Manager
Director - Section 21
Women + Men Against Child Abuse.
(011) 789-8815
082 826 1189

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