The Scope of Sexual Abuse
The Scope of Sexual Abuse
It’s impossible to pinpoint when sexual abuse in human society began since it shows up in the earliest historical texts of every civilization. We do know that sexual abuse did not begin this decade, this century, or this millennium, as it is a social corruption of every civilization. Present society, marked by misogyny and bigotry, reproduces and replicates the sins of patriarchy, a gender-based social system that favors male supremacy. Tragically, sexual violence continues in modern society, where seventy million Americans have been raped, sexually assaulted, or harassed. All of us suffer the price, especially the most vulnerable, children.
Many critics question the statistics of high rates of sexual abuse in the hopes of denying its corruption in society. Yet numerous surveys, interviews, personal essays, and statistical investigations confirm these horrifying statistics. Some even think the percentage of those harmed by sexual violence is higher. The biggest question is, why isn’t the scope of the crimes more widely known? Why is there silence? The curse of sexual violence in society raises the following question.
“How can the United States possibly realize its full potential when close to a third of the population has experienced psychic and/or physical trauma during the years they’re developing neurologically and emotionally—forming their very identity, beliefs, and social patterns?”
This cloud of social ignorance obscures awareness and prohibits corrective actions from addressing the problem.
The Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network, RAINN, is the largest organization addressing sexual abuse in the United States, documented in 2013 that 600,000 people, including children, are sexually assaulted each year. Studies show that one out of every six women and one out of 33 men have been victims of attempted or completed rape. That’s 20% of our population (66 million people). These statistics do not include other forms of sexual abuse and harassment or non-gender conforming survivors.
(first page of Chapter on Scope of Abuse)
Citations:
National Sexual Violence Resource Center, Statistics on Rape and Sexual Assault https://www.nsvrc.org/statistics
Darkness to Light, “Whether you realize it or not, child sexual abuse affects all of us, The Impact Is Tremendous,” please note–only refers to sexual violence suffered by children. https://www.d2l.org/child-sexual-abuse/impact/
Trauma Counseling Center of Los Angeles, “What is Secondary Trauma?” https://traumacounseling.com/trauma-therapy-blog/secondary-traumatic-stress/#:~:text=Secondary%20traumatic%20stress%20is%20a,things%20all%20day%20from%20patients
Connie K. Hayek, LMSW, “Secondary Traumatic Stress Overview,” https://edn.ne.gov/cms/sites/default/files/u1/pdf/21TR3%20%20Hayek.Secondary%20Traumatic%20Stress%20Overview.Hayek_.pdf
National Sexual Violence Resource Center, “Statistics,” Nationwide, 81% of women and 43% of men reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment and/or assault in their lifetime. https://www.nsvrc.org/statistics
Mia Fontaine, “America Has an Incest Problem,” article, 2013, Atlantic Magazine, https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/01/america-has-an-incest-problem/272459/
Tim Lennon
August 7, 2024
