Sexual Abuse Issues - Essay Example

? Sexual Abuse Introduction Despite the development of civilization, our world has always been full of violence. Unfortunately, women, children and elder people often become victims. They suffer from sexual or physical abuse. Sexual abuse that will be discussed in this paper is considered to be one of the most hurtful and morally wrong acts. The principles of the modern society prescribe much sexual freedom, but everybody should understand that this fact should not justify abusive behavior. Many people suffer from sexual abuse, thus this offend should be paid much attention to. The reasons and motives of sexual abuse should be carefully analyzed in order to understand offender’s behavior to provide people with relevant instructions how to avoid danger. Many people think that sexual abuse is commonly committed by strangers. The definition of sexual abuse contradicts this opinion. Sexual abuse is rather defined as unlawful sexual act committed against a person by a relative or an acquaintance. This commonly applied definition testifies that sexual abuse is seldom committed by a stranger from the dark alley. Such cases happen, but they are not frequently met. According to the article, “Sexual violence: prevalence, dynamics and consequences”, “ the perpetrator of a sexual assault may be a date, an acquaintance, a friend, a family member, an intimate partner or former intimate partner, or a complete stranger, but more often than not, is someone known to the victim. There is no stereotypical perpetrator; sexually violent men come from all backgrounds, rich and poor, academic and uneducated, religious and non-religious. Perpetrators may be persons in positions of authority who are respected and trusted (e.g. a doctor, teacher, tourist guide, priest, police officer) and thus less likely to be suspected of sexual violence” (“Sexual violence: prevalence, dynamics and consequences”). Unfortunately, safety measures, such as not to walk in the dark streets alone, which we learn in school and from our parents, can’t defend people from being raped. According to the statistics, rapes, as well as murders, are usually committed in people’s own home. The offender is usually someone a victim knows rather well to let him penetrate his/her own apartment. It is interesting that nowadays not only women become victims of rape, men also suffer from sexual abuse. However, in the majority of cases violent sexual acts are still committed by men (Denov, 2004). The first question that offender is asked in the police office is “why did you commit this crime?”. Therefore, the main task of criminologists is to reveal the reasons behind the crimes, the state of the offender, his thoughts and impulses before committing the crime. The researchers came to the conclusion that, first of all, sexual desire seldom becomes the reason of sexual abuse. A violent sexual act is an aggressive act, and usually the main wish of an offender is to dominate over women and control them. The sexual violence is directed on the humiliation of person’s dignity in order to make the offender’s self-esteem higher. Thus, rape is not only physical, but also moral abuse that has long-term consequences. In the article “Sexual violence: prevalence, dynamics and consequences”, it is stated that “the health consequences of sexual violence are numerous and varied, and include physical and psychological effects, both in the short-term and in the long-term. Most significantly perhaps, sexual abuse can have devastating long-term psychological effects, influencing and radically altering a person’s entire life course” (“Sexual violence: prevalence, dynamics and consequences”). In order to reveal the main reasons of rape, it is essential to analyze the social and cultural factors. The problem is that many social and cultural factors contribute to the problem of sexual violence. The prejudices, which have always existed in our society, prescribe that women always have subordinate and inferior position. Men are brought up believing that they should always dominate over women. If they see that the things are quite different, they become irritated and try to prove their superiority. Thus, the principles, which exist in the society, spoil men’s understanding of the relations between men and women and make the relations between sexes tight and negative. If men were brought up differently, they would understand that men and women are first of all equal and men’s self-respect would not be nettled every time they see women prevailing over them. Personal and psychological factors also play a very important role. A man may have some negative experience connected with women and his sexual life (Thornhill, 2000). He may have gone through some negative moments, thus, he may be aggressive in his relation to women. Such attitude towards women makes him a potential offender. Practice and research show that many offenders suffer from impotence, therefore they try to prove that they can commit a sexual act through rape. Due to their physical problems, such attempts also fail and in this case sexual offender turns into potential murderer as he becomes irritated by the fact that he failed again (Vladutiu, 2011). Experts define different forms of rape depending on the situation. Date rape and acquaintance rape are the forms of sexual violence committed by the acquaintance of the victim. Notwithstanding that both men and women can become victims of sexual violence, in the majority of cases women are the victims of this form of rape. This is the most widespread form of sexual violence. According to the statistics, approximately 80% of rapes are committed by the acquaintances. Conclusion Sexual abuse is a very serious problem our society faces. The conclusion can be made that the roots of this problem lie in the social and cultural factors and the way the boys, who usually become the offenders are brought up. Men are sure that they always should dominate and if they see the dominance of a woman, they become aggressive. The welfare of the whole society suffers because of that. The principles of the society can’t change rapidly, this demands a lot of time. However, some measures can be taken in this direction. The way people are brought up in schools and other educational establishments can be affected by corresponding actions taken by social workers and the government. Let’s hope that these measures will be taken and the situation will change for better. References Vladutiu C.J. et al. (2011). "College- or university-based sexual assault prevention programs: a review of program outcomes, characteristics, and recommendations". Trauma, Violence, and Abuse 12 (2): 67–86.  Denov, Myriam S. (2004). Perspectives on female sex offending: a culture of denial. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd Thornhill, Randy; Palmer, Craig T. (2000). A Natural History of Rape: Biological Bases of Sexual Coercion. The MIT Press. Sexual violence: prevalence, dynamics and consequences. (n.d.). GUIDELINES FOR MEDICO-LEGAL CARE FOR VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE. Who.int Retrieved June 29, 2013 from http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/resources/publications/en/guidelines_chap2.pdf Read More