Only For Me
by Michelle Derrig
Trigger warning: This article focuses on the topic of childhood sexual abuse which may be triggering for some readers.
Talking about childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is of course, a very overwhelming and unpleasant task. So, it is only natural that having read these first few sentences, many of you are ready to click on past and find a much less confronting topic to read about.
However, before you do so, I want to point out that you will be playing directly into the hands of childhood sexual predators, as keeping parents ignorant and in the dark about this topic, is one of the elements that they rely upon, to carry out their evil acts.
For detailed information about this topic you can refer to my previous articles, but for today let’s debunk the most common myths associated with CSA:
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CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE only AFFECTS a small minority of children. FALSE
It is estimated that 20%, or 1 in 5 children*, will experience some sort of sexual harm before their 18th birthday. Which means in a typical primary school class of 25 children, 5 children will become victims of CSA. Both female and male children are at risk of CSA.
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CSA abuse only occurs to children from certain socio-economic groups and cultures. FALSE
CSA cuts across all demographics of society. So it doesn’t matter where you live, what your profession is, how much money you earn, what religion you practice, or what cultural background you come from – all our children can be at risk.
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Strangers makeup the majority of CSA predators! FALSE
Strangers only make up 10% of CSA perpetrators. In 90% of cases the victim will know their abuser*. In almost half of these cases the abuser will be a family member** (most commonly a male relative). Whilst in the remaining cases the perpetrator will be a friend, an acquaintance or someone otherwise known to the victim.
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Only older children are at risk of abuse! FALSE
Horrifically, even very young children are at risk of abuse. Experts recommend to commencing, age appropriate, body safety conversations with your child from at least 3 years of age.
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all csa predators are adults! FALSE
Approximately 1 in 3 cases of child sexual abuse are instigated by other young people. Children who act out in this way are doing so in response to trauma and quite often are victims of CSA themselves and are simply reenacting what has been done to them as a coping mechanism.
Now you know that CSA is a prevalent issue, that can affect all children, no matter their gender, age, or demographic. Now you know that in most cases, victims will be abused by someone known to them and that in a significant proportion of cases the perpetrator will be another child. So, hopefully you now know, just how important it is to educate your children about body safety and consent from a young age.
To learn more and to how to go about educating and empowering your children about this topic please refer to the following articles.
*According to Bravehearts https://bravehearts.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Facts-and-stats-poster_Updated-June2021.pdf
**According to the Australian Institute of Family Studies https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/who-abuses-children
