Why is this topic of great importance set aside? What are the consequences of sexual abuse? What impact does this have on society?
I am somewhat puzzled by the lack of attention to this issue that has infinite repercussions on adolescents who are victims of sexual abuse.
Suffering sexual violence during adolescence is one of the most traumatic, painful and invalidating experiences young people can experience. Many people believe that when girls and boys reach adolescence the risk of sexual violence is lower for them because they are already able to defend themselves. But that's not true, statistics say that adolescence is precisely the age of greatest risk.
What are the physical sequels?
Most of the traumas that cause sexual abuse in children, adolescents and young people are psychological in nature because, initially at least, most victims react passively to the abuse. Why? The reasons that explain this non-resistance to abuse can be fear of the use of physical force by the aggressor, ignorance, threats of the abuser towards his family, feelings of helplessness, fear that his mothers or fathers do not believe them, or because the abuser is in authority and economic dependence. However, a proportion of children, adolescents and young people suffer physical traumas such as injuries, vaginal infections, pain, pruritus, injuries or wounds, irritation in the genital area, bleeding or inter-menstrual dribbling. Other behavioral or psychological symptoms may be anxiety, headaches, irritability, sleep disturbances, change in eating habits, nightmares, fatigue, diffuse somatic complaints.
What psychological consequences does sexual abuse have?
Depression is commonly experienced, especially by young women, as a result of sexual abuse and is closely linked to the family and social response, even when they tend to protect and support it. Depression is often a response to one of several factors. They include a sense of badness and guilt, low self-esteem linked to feelings of shame, dirt and hurt; or also a belief of being valued only as an object of sexual abuse for the gratification of others; a feeling of being trapped and lack of support and help in the face of these oppressive sensations.
The accommodation and psychological adaptation of the child or adolescent is necessary to emotionally survive the abusive period. This process of accommodation often allows the abuse to run its course by pretending a normal life, with only some signs of disturbance in behavior or in the affective sphere, which are only retrospectively recognized as indicators of this abuse.
The most anguishing that is perceived as a mechanism of escape from this intolerable situation are the attempts at self-abuse experienced by the adolescent victims of sexual abuse. Abusing others can be a form of avoidance used by male adolescents. Other adolescents evade abuse through flight or flight from home. Feelings of guilt, inferiority or feelings of devaluation, are also results of having been abused.
It is a really alarming issue. In many cases there is frequent occurrence of ideas of suicide, and how many vicitimas do not reach this end. The appearance of one or more of these consequences will also affect the behavior of victims who sometimes flee their homes, commit crimes, begin to use drugs or begin to have dysfunctional relationships.
Generates in me a huge sadness. Let us join forces and support the enormous rate of adolescent victims of sexual abuse which are not taken into account and sometimes they are not even given the psychological support they demand when they are victims of a situation with so many repercussions that they will be reflected as throughout his life.
-Zori.