Reasons for the High Increase of Sexual Abuse among Aboriginal Communities - Essay Example

Introduction Sexual abuse occurs when one has a sexual intercourse with the other person without their consent. However, there are several definitions of sexual abuse between different territories and states. There exists sexual abuse among the Aboriginal community in Australia. The Aboriginal women are often abused sexually. Lievore (2003) discloses that it is extremely difficult to find reliable information on the extent of sexual violation of the Aboriginal women. This fact is true because most of the victims are reluctant when it comes to reporting sexual abuse cases. In part, an anecdotal submission and evidence illustrates that sexual abuse in the Aboriginal communities occurs at a higher rate than those of non-indigenous women (Keel, 2004).This paper provides a clear illustration of sexual abuse among the aboriginal communities. Reasons for the high increase of sexual abuse among Aboriginal Insensitive approach to aboriginal families Some of the contributing factors to Aboriginal sexual abuse include the history of sexual abuse, unemployment addictions, various destructive behaviors, alcohol and drug abuse as well as health and mental problems. According to Dr. Cripps, all these factors lead to increased sexual abuse among the aboriginal community. Various protective agencies have been criticized for being insensitive and very unsupportive to end the abuse of the aboriginal women. For instance; the approach recommended by the Gordon Inquiry in 2001 has not been effectively set up as recommended. The approach recommended one site for services such as sexual abuse health and support services and police assistance. The approach has been adopted in other places; however, it has become an exception rather than a rule (Altman and Hickson, 2010). Risk factors that occur at high rates Most of the Aboriginal mothers in Australia are exposed to ssexual abuse due to several factors. One of the reasons for the increased prevalence of the sexual abuse is the risk factors that occur at high rates, therefore making the aboriginal women to be at a high risk of sexual abuse than other populations (Bodeker, 2008). Moreover, risk factors for the sexual abuse at the community level have often been associated with social norms as well as poverty. Individuals who sexually or physically assault their women have often seen several inter-parental cases of abuse and have often experienced substance abuse and child abuse (Rothman et al., 2003). Additionally, the increased levels of sexual abuse among the aboriginal women increase their exposure to more stressful life events (Gracey and King, 2009). Sexual abuse among the aboriginal children Some children also sexually abuse other children due to the effect of watching pornographic movies. In the aboriginal community, children as young as six years have been seen performing oral sex. The aboriginal family and community structures that protected the children from such sexual violence are in the recent years breaking down. In 2012, for instance the rate of sexual abuse among the aboriginal children was 2 and four times more than those for the non-indigenous children (AIHW, 2005). A report by the Breaking the Silence on Aboriginal sexual abuse interviewed close to 300 aboriginal individuals and found out that not one individual was able to name a family that was unaffected by the menace of sexual abuse. Due to the sexual abuse, there has been a constant increase in sexually transmitted diseases among the children (In Uhr and In Walter, 2014). Sexual abuse among the aboriginal children is not driven by the sexual desires, but to some extent sexual abuse arises as a result of boredom, alcohol abuse and poverty. Consequently, some young children also imitate the behavior that they are exposed to by the adults and pornographic literature (Keel et al., 2004). Most victims are young and lack proper knowledge of how to deal with their pain rather than abusing other children. Child victims often abuse other out of rage, despair and confusion. A report by the other of ‘Little Children are Sacred’, suggested that the generation of social problems provides an important role in education. Through education, the community is at a position of helping the community and children to nurture well-adjusted and safe families. Making children go to school is safe for their survival (Pocock et al., 2003). Neglect and lack of supervision Neglect and lack of supervision essentially for children has led to sexual abuse. According to the report by the Aboriginal Women Taskforce, most children hung around the canteen drinking beer. Some children are left to roam about until early in the morning. Neglect is a primary problem to the children sexual abuse (Ellis, 2008). According to D’Souza, even though most children are vulnerable to sexual abuse, the Aboriginal children are more open to sexual abuse due to lack of supervision. According to him, he sees the problem to be inextricably bounded by the history of oppression of the Aboriginal individuals. Omaji and Beresford also criticize the neglect and lack of supervision of the aboriginal children. They claim that the parents show little interests on their children. Additionally, parents are always absent from their children. They are also provided with a poor environment for growth and therefore exposing them to sexual abuse (Alfred et al., 2006). The size of the community Remoteness and rurality has led to the creation of small communities which means that there is a lack of anonymity, nobody to talk to about the abuse, the services are not readily accessible and there is lack of confidentiality. There is a great chance that due to the small community, the offender and the victim are known in the society. As a result, the opinion of the community is likely to be split in favor of one person. This leads to pressure making the victim and their families flee the town. Publicity through the media or gossip network can allude the offender’s identity and that of the victim together within accurate accounts of sexual abuse. This aspect should be considered by the service providers (Ernest, 2007). Protection of the offender In several cases, the mothers may fail to report cases of sexual abuse of their child done by the father. The mother even becomes hostile to the police officers investigating the matter. The abuse may have resulted in significant physical injury to the child, but the mother insists the child did it by herself. Various informants claim that most of the Aboriginal women are very sympathetic to their men. They feel that their husbands are so unhappy and tell their children to forget about the incident. Such women fail to report the abuse and fail to seek proper medical attention. Some feel it is shameful to expose the bad behavior of their husbands; they opt to keep it a secret. This can compel the husbands to abuse their children more often since they go unpunished (Sue and Eileen, 2008). Impacts of sexual abuse in the Community As noted by the commission of inquiry into child abuse, the impacts of child sexual abuse is often difficult to study and to disentangle. There is no doubt that most children who have been exposed to sexual violence have long term problems that interfere or damage their lives and affect other individuals around them. Sexual abuse increases and becomes more severe. This implies that without proper intervention to curb the problem, the abuse may increase and become more severe and may result in more intricate acts (Atkinson, 2007). Reporting child sexual abuse Australian Bureau of Statistics in 1997 found out that only a quarter of the aboriginal women who have experienced sexually abuse report their experience to the police (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006). In the study by Edie Cater, only 12 percent of the women reported their cases of rape or sexual abuse to the police. Also, it is very alarming that the data regarding the incidences of child sexual abuse does not reflect the exact rate. There exist several reasons as to why most Aboriginal people do not report various acts of sexual abuse. The main reason is fear. Most individuals fear repercussions in their society, they fear shame and do not want others to know whatever they went through. Some fear that people may not believe them, while others fear the police. As stated by one health worker, the perpetrator of the abuse may be someone in power, the person may be in charge of land and housing provision, the women fear that if they report the incidence, then they may not obtain land or house (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Task Force on Violence Report, 2005). Interventions for sexual assaults among the aboriginal community Aboriginal children and families are faced with several problems brought about by exposure to sexual abuse. The aboriginal community can prevent this painful act through working together with the mainstream services. As noted by the New South Wales Indigenous Education Consultative, abuse should be seen as the problem of the whole community and the impacts are far reaching for all the members of the community (Higgins et al., 2008). The informants should also be involved in the program and they should provide comments on ways to curb sexual abuse. Timing is a significant factor whereby the intervention should take place now, not in the future since these children are the future leaders. The problem should not be neglected and proper action should be taken to prevent the problem. Aboriginal informants suggest that the intervention should be multi-layered and multi-focused. The intervention should encompass counseling, relevant programs such as parenting education and youth relationships (McGlade, 2012). Those to be involved in the intervention The community should be involved. Individuals should be in a position to explain all that happens to them. The abused person should report the case and seek help as soon as possible. The community should come out and bring the offenders in light and rebuke the painful act. The aboriginal communities should be involved in the intervention (Harris, 2012). Most of the indigenous communities do nothing on sexual abuses within their communities. The entire community and law enforcement agencies should be actively involved in devising various ways of reducing sexual assault (Hazlehurst, 2009). Conclusion Sexual abuse is very common among the aboriginal communities in Australia. There are several factors that influence sexual abuse in this community. The children are infleunced by pornographic literature. The parents may be drawn as a result of alcohol or sexual desires. The impacts of sexual abuse are very severe and have a long term effect on the victims. Most cases of sexual abuse are often not reported due to fear. Most victims fail to report since they fear shame. There should be proper intervention on the problem by law enforcement agencies and the community. References Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Task Force on Violence Report (2005) Brisbane, QLD Department ofTorres Strait Islander and of Aboriginal Policy and Development. Alfred A. Dawson D and Maria M.(2006). 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