Our society has a difficult time accepting the reality of sexual abuse. Denial is our first normal response. Unfortunately, the statistic is that one out of every three women and one out of every five men will be sexually abused during their lifetime. While this young man has indeed been alleged to commit this crime, we must let due process of the law work its course in order for the facts to be known. If he is guilty, justice will never be served for the victim. I too hope that this case is not true, however when dealing with sexual abuse cases it is often those least expected to be, in reality the actual perpetrator.
I applaud all individual (survivors) who speak out when they have been sexually abused. The percentage of individuals lying on such an issue as this is very low. Often, if you are one of the millions of people who have survived sexual abuse, you likely do not want anyone else to suspect that this happened to you. Sexual abuse is not something that can be processed easily. Often sexual abuse has lifetime consequences especially if they have not received proper treatment. A survivor of sexual abuse usually experiences trouble in four areas, physical, social, psychological and behavioral. Physically, a survivor can suffer from anxiety, nightmares and other sleep problems, nervousness and eating problems. Socially, a survivor can have a problem starting and maintaining relationships because of problems with trust. They often have trouble adjusting to sex in relationships and difficulty showing affection. Psychologically, they often feel alone, powerless and have low self-esteem. They likely believe that other’s feelings are more important than their own. And behaviorally, they are often involved with many sexual partners, prostitution, drug and alcohol problems.
As a society we need to wake up and realize that the prevalence of this in our culture is not changing. Above are listed only a few of the consequences of sexual abuse. Sexual abuse is not something that a person gets over easily. Whether they bring it to the legal system, or they try to stuff it away…it follows a person and affects them, and those around them, the rest of their lives.
