Child Victim of Sexual Assaults and Acquaintance Rape Victims - Term Paper Example

? Child Victim of Sexual Assaults and Acquaintance Rape Victims of the of the December 3, Child Victim of Sexual Assaults and Acquaintance Rape Victims 1. Introduction Child sexual assaults and acquaintance rapes often go unnoticed and underreported in many instances. The adverse consequences of acquaintance rapes and child sex abuse on the victims are many and varied: these can adversely affect the physical, emotional, psychological and social life of the victims to a large extend. Child sexual abuse or assault is defined as “any activity with a child, before the age of legal consent, that is for the sexual gratification of an adult or a significantly older child” (Sakelliadis, Spiliopoulou & Papadodima, 2009, p. 144). Child sexual abuse is very often characterized by the use of exploitation, force or coercion. The child victims of sexual assaults fail to comprehend the seriousness and impact of their involvement in the sexual activity and their condition becomes most pathetic when the perpetrators are either family members or non-relatives who are thick family friends. The increasing statistics of child sexual abuses call for collaborative efforts from the part of counselors, psychologists, social service groups and child advocacy groups. On the other hand, acquaintance rapes are more commonly seen than strange rapes among college and high school students; the major perpetrators of acquaintance rapes are usually classmates, friends, boyfriends, ex-boyfriends or other acquaintances of the victims. The various types of acquaintance rapes consist of party or gang rape, date rape, rape in a non-party and non-date situation, rape by a former intimate, or rape by a current intimate (Sampson, 2011, p. 10). While some of the rape victims are afraid of perpetrators’ threats others are reluctant to report their victimization due to their fear of the emotional trauma involved in the legal process and societal reactions. The victims of acquaintance rape also undergo the same amount of physical, emotional and psychological trauma like the child sex victims even though the society tends to view acquaintance rape less serious than stranger rape. 2. Literature review Researches and clinical studies have clearly demonstrated that childhood sexual abuses have adverse negative impacts and consequences on the victims. For Widom (1995, p.2), the frequently reported consequences of child victims of sexual assaults include “acting-out behaviors, such as running away, truancy, conduct disorder, delinquency, promiscuity, and inappropriate sexual behavior” (Widom, 1995, p. 2). The long term effects of childhood sexual abuse have also been pointed out by Beitchman et al. (1992) when the authors observe that victims of child sexual assaults also suffer from depression, suicidal tendencies, re-victimization and post sexual abuse syndromes. Similarly, child abuse contribute to a variety of physical and mental problems like brain damage, constant deterioration of self-esteem, chronic failure in making effective relationships, aggressive behavior and various learning disabilities among the children (Van der Kolk, Hopper & Crozier, 2001). Child abuse and maltreatments not only damage the normal growth of the brain, but also have severe effects on the cognition, behavior formation, social interaction and communication skills of the child. In the same way, the psychological and physical consequences of acquaintance rape are also well documented in literature. It has also been observed that the victims of acquaintance rape “suffer the same psychological harms as stranger-rape victims: shock, humiliation, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts, loss of self-esteem, social isolation, anger, distrust of others, fear of AIDS, guilt, and sexual dysfunction” (Sampson, 2011, p. 13). Similarly, acquaintance rapes can also contribute to school dropout rates among the victim population. Studies have clearly demonstrated that child sexual abuse by family members or relatives and acquaintance rapes are most problematic as the victims find it extremely difficult to disclose their experiences to others. While child sexual assault can be regarded as the forced sexual activity with a child before the age of legal consent the perpetrators of acquaintance rapes are quite familiar to the victims. As such intra-familial sexual abuses are “difficult to document and manage, because the child must be protected from additional abuse and coercion not to reveal or to deny the abuse, while attempts are made to preserve the family unit” (Sakelliadis, Spiliopoulou & Papadodima, 2009, p. 144). The emotional and psychological traumas experienced by the victims are of great importance as the perpetrators are their own immediate/extended family members, babysitters, school teachers, class mates or intimate elders. Similarly, victims of both child sexual abuse and acquaintance rapes are often re-victimized and are afraid of societal reactions and investigation procedures. As pointed out by Fanflik (2007, p. 2) the victim responses to the sexual assault are “counterintuitive” to the general public” as many continue to date the assailant or do not report the sexual assault at all. Both acquaintance rapes and child sexual assaults are characterized by victim underreporting. Acquaintance rapes are more common among college students than strange rapes and usually the perpetrators are classmates, friends, boyfriends, ex-boyfriends or other acquaintances. It has been observed in the case of acquaintance rapes that only “fewer than 5 percent of college women who are victims of rape or attempted rape report it to police” (Sampson, 2011, p. 9) and as such majority of the acquaintance rapes go unreported. It has well been documented by Edlin and Golanty (2009, p. 515) when the authors purport that “acquaintance rape victims are less likely than other rape victims to seek crisis services, tell someone, report the incident to the police, or seek counseling.” While some of the rape victims are afraid of the perpetrators others are reluctant to report the crime due to their fear of the emotional trauma of the legal process and societal reactions. The major reasons offered by acquaintance rape victims for not reporting the rape to authorities are embarrassment and shame, fear of publicity, fear of the reaction of the offender, fear of social isolation, self blaming, fear of the family members, mistrust of the campus judicial system and fear of the legal procedures (Sampson, 2011, p. 10). As such a large majority of the acquaintance rape offenders are neither confronted nor prosecuted. Similarly, many of the child sex abuses involving intimate family members are also hushed up for fear of causing bad reputation to the family’s prestige. It can also be seen that physical maltreatments and sexual abuse pose serious threats among people with poor economic backgrounds. Poverty and ignorance play a vital role in promoting child abuse in countries from Asia, Africa, and South America. In her study on the prevention of child abuse, Monica Diner observes; “many times this is in part, the consequence of poverty and ignorance of certain families, especially in some parts of Asia, Africa, South America, but many other cases are purely criminal” (Diner, 2007, p. 14). Majority of the African and Asian countries have faced the severity of poverty and starvation for many years. People from these countries always fail to satisfy their primary needs such as food, shelter, medicine and education. However, more recent studies clearly show that child sexual abuse is prevalent in all socioeconomic groups and this calls for the need for greater public awareness and more competent support systems (Sakelliadis, Spiliopoulou & Papadodima, 2009, p. 144). In the United States the reports published by Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) documented that in 1997 more than 5.8 million children were involved in child abuse and other allegation (National Child Abuse Statistics, 2011). The growing rate of child abuse cases and allegations accelerates tension and anxiety among the parents as well as the authority. As children are the great wealth of a nation, challenges against children raises some serious questions about the existence of the social system as well. 3. Child victim of sexual assaults and acquaintance rape victims: compare and contrast A. Data collection issues for each The statistical data on child sex abuse in the nation consists of only reported cases whereas the actual statistics are much higher. However, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s annual report on crimes does not differentiate sexual assaults against juveniles from those against adults and as such the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System offers the most reliable data on the issue (Finkelhor, Hammer, & Sedlak, 2008). The authors point out that about one in three girls and one in seven boys are sexually abused during childhood; in 1999, “an estimated 285,400 children were victims of a sexual assault and 35,000 were victims of some other type of sex offense” (Finkelhor, Hammer, & Sedlak, 2008). Almost 89 percentage of the sexual assault victims were females. The number of abused or neglected children during the period is quite alarming. Researchers such as Van der Kolk, Hopper and Crozier (2001, p. 2) point out that as per the statistics of the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA),” an estimated 3,195,000 children were reported abused or neglected” in 1997. However, it can be noticed that most data collections address the issue of child abuse and neglect in general and this makes it difficult for the researchers to identify the actual data on victims of child sex assault alone. Data collection on acquaintance rape also poses difficulties as one needs to distinguish between acquaintance rapes and consensual sex. Similarly, the official statistics prepared by the U.S. Department of Justice include only those reported cases of acquaintance rapes. It has been identified that women aged “16 to 24 experience rape at rates four times higher than the assault rate of all women:" a recent large-scale study among both two- and four-year colleges showed that there were “35 rapes per 1,000 female students over seven months” (Sampson, 2011, p. 3). Similarly, it has also been pointed out that almost 90 percent of the raped college women knew their perpetrators emphasizing the impact of acquaintance rapes among college and high school learners. However, only five percent of these rapes were reported by the victims making the current statistics quite incomplete. Edlin and Golanty (2009, p. 514), in this respect, point out that “about out half of all cases of sexual violence against women are committed by a friend or acquaintance” whereas “about one-quarter are committed by an intimate partner.” The authors also make it clear that there are more than 100,000 forcible rapes reported in the nation each year. B. Degree of shared responsibility: Analyzing both types of sexual assaults it is evident that victims of acquaintance rapes own a shared responsibility for their actions. On the other hand, the child sex assault victims are truly innocent as they are being exploited at an age when they are unable to offer their informed consent. In the case of victims of acquaintance rapes it is their own actions and lack of proper care that become instrumental for their victimization. However, in comparison to stranger rape acquaintance rapes are much more preventable and avoidable. There are a number of factors accelerating the likelihood of women’s vulnerability towards acquaintance rapes most of which are quite preventable. These factors are: frequently drinking enough to get drunk; drinking to the point of being unable to resist forceful sexual advances; using drugs and/or drinking (both the victim and the assailant); having previously been the victim of sexual assault, before the start of the school year; being single; engaging in social activities with sexually predatory men; being at an isolated site; miscommunication about sex; and holding less conservative attitudes about sexual behavior (Sampson, 2011, p. 10). Thus, it can be stated that in the case of acquaintance rapes both the victims and the assailants have a shared responsibility for their actions. `College and high school women tend to trust and believe their peers and acquaintances and this make them quite vulnerable towards acquaintance rapes. On the other hand, victims of child sex assaults merely fall preys to adults who exploit them making use of force or coercion. Very often, the victims fail to understand the seriousness and gravity of their actions. The physical and emotional traumas caused by child sexual abuse have long lasting effects on the rest of their lives. These victimized children are at the risk of further exploitation and re-victimization unless and until they are offered sufficient counseling, physical and mental health care, adequate rehabilitation and timely support systems. Unlike acquaintance rapes the assailant rarely employs force or violence in child sexual abuse; on the other hand, the perpetrator assumes the role of a trusted caregiver and manipulates the child’s trust gradually for sexual satisfaction. In such relations, “the sexual abuse of children frequently occurs as repeated episodes that become more invasive with time” and “perpetrators usually engage the child in a gradual process of sexualizing the relationship over time” (WHO, n.d, p. 76). Similarly, almost one third of the child abuse cases occur as incest relations or intra-familial abuses making children quite vulnerable towards manipulation and sexual assaults. C. Victim-blaming or victim-defending tendencies: Personal responsibility and accountability lie at the heart of the U.S. legal system and as such it is significant to analyze victim-blaming and victim-defending tendencies with regard to child sexual abuse and acquaintance rapes. While victim blaming attributes the victim “a share of responsibility for what took place because of facilitation, precipitation, and provocation” victim defending supports the victims by rejecting “as unfair any attempt to hold the injured party responsible for what happened” (Viano, n.d, p. 433). The criminal justice system takes into account such aspects as shared responsibility, guilt, blame, and participation in crime. The concept of victim blaming holds that every citizen has the primary responsibility to prevent crimes through one’s behavior modification, lifestyle changes, and variations in daily routines. The chances of victim-blaming are most likely in the case of acquaintance rapes. Most often acquaintance rapes take place due to risk factors and personal characteristics that the victims can avoid or alter. The criminal justice may take into account whether the victim has provoked men through her behavior, mode of dressing, flirting, accepting a ride or date, or through consumption of alcohol or drugs. Very often, the victims of acquaintance rapes are to endure strong societal reactions that often place blame on their behavior or life style. Self-blaming also is possible in the case of acquaintance rapes. This is very well pointed out by Edlin and Golanty (2009, p. 515) when the authors observe: “compared with victims of stranger rapes, acquaintance rape victims tend to blame themselves for what happened.” On the other hand, victim-defending tendencies are likely to be applied in the cases of victims of child sexual abuses as they are unable to prevent the advancements of their perpetrators. D. Support/services that are available for each: It is imperative that the victims of child sexual victims and victims of acquaintance rapes are provided adequate post trauma support services. The victims of sexual abuse may suffer from long term post traumatic experiences and they should be offered individual counseling, legal assistance, skill development training, mental and healthcare services. Family counseling, the services of social support groups and timely psychological interventions are also necessary. Rape crisis centers (RCCs) and Children’s Advocacy Centers also have significant roles in this regard. Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) have played a crucial role in the way child sexual abuse investigations were held. Very often, the victims of child sexual abuse had to undergo a number of interviews and abuse investigation procedures and this cause them more of stress and depression. CACs not only help to create a conducive environment for child abuse interviews, but also offer victims and their families with adequate medical and child protection services whereby they can considerably reduce “the stress on child abuse victims and families created by traditional child abuse investigation and prosecution procedures and to improve the effectiveness of the response” (Cross et al., 2008, p. 1). Thus, it can be seen that child advocacy centers address the concerns of the victimized in the case of sexual abuse and facilitate satisfying investigation process and more referrals for child mental health treatment. It is also necessary to rehabilitate child sex abuse victims into safe and healthy social environments. Similarly, victims of acquaintance rapes also require individual, family and community level support systems. The feelings reported by sexual assault victims of acquaintance rapes consist of fear, embarrassment, shame, guilt, anxiety, frustration, stupidity, concern, anger and loss of self-control (Edlin & Golanty, 2009, p. 515). It is therefore essential that these feelings of the sexual assault victims are adequately addressed. It has been observed that “family and friends may not provide the same support for acquaintance rape victims as they might offer victims of stranger rape” (Edlin & Golanty, 2009, p. 515). Acquaintance rape victims may suffer from loneliness, social alienation and seclusion; therefore, social support systems are very much essential to help them out of the various post traumatic symptoms. E. Arguments of victim advocates: It is also worthwhile to analyze the arguments of victim advocates in child sex abuse and acquaintance rapes. Victim advocates encourage and promote the victims to move legally towards their perpetrators by building their confidence and morale. In Northern Virginia the advocates for childhood victims of sexual assault have even called for “bills that would expand the existing statute of limitations for civil lawsuits, allowing a childhood victim of sexual assault to sue the abuser up to 25 years after the event, after the victim turns 18 years old, or after the discovery of the abuse, perhaps because of a recovered memory” (Kunkle, 2011, para.3). These provisions are sure to bring down the rate of child sex abuse to a great extent. Similarly, the advocates of childhood sexual assault victims exhort the victims not to remain silent; instead, they need to make their voices heard so that these can deter future prospective assailants. Victim’s advocacy programs and awareness campaigns are also necessary for the prevention of child sexual abuse. Advocacy groups play a significant role in the case of acquaintance rapes also. There are a number of networks of victim assistance aimed at the well-being and rehabilitation of acquaintance rape victims. 4. Conclusion: In conclusion it can be stated that acquaintance rape victims and child sex abuse victims face a number of physical, emotional, psychological and social problems in their post traumatic lives. While child sexual abuse is very often characterized by the use of exploitation, force or coercion by the elder population acquaintance rapes are more common among college and high school students who are sexually assaulted by their own classmates, friends, boyfriends, ex-boyfriends or other acquaintances. It can also be noticed that both child sexual abuse and acquaintance rapes often go unnoticed and underreported. While some of the rape victims are afraid of threats from the offenders many other victims are reluctant to report the crime due to their fear of the emotional trauma of the legal process and societal reactions. Victims of both types of sexual abuse suffer from depression, low self esteem, chronic failure in making effective relationships, formation of aggressive behavior and various learning disabilities, suicidal tendencies, re-victimization and post sexual abuse syndromes. The chances of re-victimization are also stronger in the case of these victims. They also suffer from social isolation, alienation, poor social skills, self-blaming and mistrust towards others. As most of these sexual assaults go underreported majority of the acquaintance rape offenders as well as child sex abusers are neither confronted nor prosecuted. Victim blaming is often attributed to victims of acquaintance rapes as they own a share of responsibility for their actions, behaviors and life styles. On the other hand, victims of child sex abuses are always being defended. The term paper also emphasizes the need for adequate post trauma support services for the victims of child sexual victims and victims of acquaintance rapes at the individual, family and community levels. These also necessitate radical governmental interventions and timely funds for rehabilitation and social support services. References Cross et al. (August, 2008). Evaluating Children’s Advocacy Centers’ Response to Child Sexual Abuse. Juvenile Justice Bulletin: Department of Justice. Retrieved December 2, 2012, from https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/218530.pdf Beitchman, J. H., Zucker, K. J., Hood, J. E., daCosta, G. A., Akman, D., & Cassavia, E. (1992). A review of the long-term effects of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 16(1), 101-118. Edlin, G & Golanty, E. (2009). Health and Wellness (10th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning. Fanflik, P.L. (2007). Victim Responses to Sexual Assault: Counterintuitive or Simply Adaptive? American Prosecutors Research Institute: National District Attorneys Association. Retrieved December 2, 2012, from https://www.vaw.umn.edu/documents/victimresponsesexualassault/victimresponsessexualassaultpdf.pdf Finkelhor, D., Hammer, H., & Sedlak, A.J. (2008). Sexually assaulted children: National estimates and characteristics. National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children, 7, 1-12. Retrieved December 3, 2012 from https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/214383.pdf Kunkle, F. (2011). Virginia advocates for victims of childhood sexual assault blast Catholic Church for opposing bills. Retrieved December 2, 2012, from http://voices.washingtonpost.com/virginiapolitics/2011/02/virginian_sex_assault_victims.html Sakelliadis,E.I., Spiliopoulou, C.A & Papadodima, S.A. (2009). Forensic Investigation of Child Victim with Sexual Abuse. Indian Pediatrics, 46, 144-151. Sampson, R. (2011). Acquaintance Rape of College Students. Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, Inc. Retrieved December 2, 2012, from http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/Publications/POP_Acquaintance%20Rape033012b.pdf Van der Kolk, B.A., Hopper, J & Crozier, J. (2001). Child Abuse in America: Prevalence and Consequences. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma. Retrieved December 2, 2012, from http://www.nctsnet.org/nctsn_assets/pdfs/articles/child_abuse_america.pdf Viano, E.C. Victimology. Retrieved December 3, 2012 from http://www.sagepub.com/leonguerrero3e/study/chapters/handbook_articles/Handbook%2013.2.pdf Widom, C.S. (March, 1995). Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse–Later Criminal Consequences. National Institute of justice Research in Brief: US Department of Justice. Retrieved December 2, 2012, from http://www.cj.msu.edu/~outreach/mvaa/Child%20Protection/Victims%20of%20Childhood%20Sexual%20Abuse%20Later%20Criminal%20Consequences.pdf Read More