First entry and Startling Statistics

I am a survivor of sexual abuse by a cousin that is three and a half years older than me at a very young age.  This blog will be my journal of healing.  I no longer wish to be a victim.  I am choosing to be a survivor.  Now that I have told my entire family, I am ready to share my story with the hope of helping others.

Some of my entries will be writing “assignments” that I do for a book called The Courage to Heal, while others will be just my day to day journal of the ups and downs of work, home, and life in general.  I will also post websites and other sites that deal with sexual molestation. 

I hope you enjoy reading, and more importantly, I hope I am able to help you if you are struggling with a similar circumstance.  PLEASE REMEMBER IF YOU OR ANYONE THAT YOU KNOW HAS BEEN OR IS BEING ABUSED SEEK HELP IMMEDIATELY.

Following are some startling statistics from the website http://www.darkness2light.org/

·         1 in 4 girls is sexually abused before the age of 18.

·         1 in 6 boys is sexually abused before the age of 18.

·         An estimated 39 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse exist in America today.

·         30-40% of victims are abused by a family member.

·         Another 50% are abused by someone outside of the family whom they know and trust.

·         Approximately 40% are abused by older or larger children whom they know.

·         The median age for reported abuse is 9 years old.

·         More than 20% of children are sexually abused before the age of 8.

·         Young victims may not recognize their victimization as sexual abuse.

·         Fabricated sexual abuse reports constitute only 1% to 4% of all reported cases. Of these reports, 75% are falsely reported by adults and 25% are reported by children. Children only fabricate ½% of the time.

·         The way a victim's family responds to abuse plays an important role in how the incident affects the victim.

·         Sexually abused children who keep it a secret or who "tell" and are not believed are at greater risk than the general population for psychological, emotional, social, and physical problems often lasting into adulthood.

·         Children who have been victims of sexual abuse are more likely to experience physical health problems (e.g., headaches).

·         Victims of child sexual abuse report more symptoms of PTSD, more sadness, and more school problems than non-victims.

·         Victims of child sexual abuse are more likely to experience major depressive disorder as adults.

·         Young girls who are sexually abused are more likely to develop eating disorders as adolescents.

·         Adolescent victims of violent crime have difficulty in the transition to adulthood, are more likely to suffer financial failure and physical injury, and are at risk to fail in other areas due to problem behaviors and outcomes of the victimization.

·         Young girls who are sexually abused are 3 times more likely to develop psychiatric disorders or alcohol and drug abuse in adulthood, than girls who are not sexually abused.

·         Adolescents who suffer violent victimization are at risk for being victims or perpetrators of felony assault, domestic violence, and property offense as adults.