Myths about Child Abuse
by
American Mental Health Counselors Association
Myth #1: Most child molesters are strangers to their victim.
Actually, most child molesters are related to the child. This "trusted" adult could be father, stepfather, brother, uncle, mother, sister, cousin. or babysitter. The so-called "stranger" child molesters are quite rare. Rather, they are people the victims know.
Myth #2: Child molesters are attracted sexually to their victims.
Sexual assault is an expression of power and anger. Sometimes it is experimentation or a misguided attempt to initiate a child into the sexual world. Many counselors have found, for example, that their adult, male offender clients experience feelings of worthlessness and many things in their lives not going well. They turn to controlling a child once again to feel powerful.
Myth #3: The sexual abuse of a child is usually a single, violent incident
It may be easier to believe that the act is the result of a drunken bout. Reality shows us that there is a continuum of sexual activities. During the early stages of incest, for example, the child is gradually taught to accept sexual acts. This can be done in a "loving" fashion. Human beings are not born with a working knowledge of sex and its fulfillment, so such an indoctrination is very possible. The sexual interaction includes a variety of sexual acts, ranging from exposure to intercourse. As the abuse continues, the adult abuser realizes the consequences of what is happening and resorts to coercion , bribes, and threats to keep the child quiet. Most children don't tell anyway, because they are too afraid, so the abuse continues until the child can leave the home at a later age. If they do tell, the abuse usually ends.
Myth #4: Effects of sexual child abuse go away in adulthood.
Like it or not, all of us are affected by our past experiences. The sexual abuse of children has a profound influence on peoples ability to relate to others throughout life. Survivors of sexual child abuse don't heal by ignoring their past. They do heal by remembering, telling, feeling, and learning to think about abuse in ways that are self-affirming rather than self-destructive.
Effects of sexual child abuse can be reduced and transformed with effort and caring. Supportive and skillful counseling helps.
