First of all how many children are going to admit on a survey that they have experienced sexual abuse? I never did when I was a kid because I was afraid they would figure out who I was and then I would be in real trouble. The trouble would come at home not from the school. Children are threatened by their abusers. Some children feel that those who are abusing them love them and they crave love so much they wouldn't tell. If I told in school and Ruth found out I would possibly have gotten beaten to death. There are other children who are afraid to tell because they would ruin their family. There are those in the movement to abolish the Sexual Offender Registry who recommend that families deal with issues of sexual abuse within families. They even share that there are agencies who support their beliefs. This means their is a demographic that refuses to admit if sexual abuse is occurring in homes. http://www.memoirofaredemptivelife.com/2012/05/response-to-comment-left-on-my-blog.html#moreOverall cases of child sexual abuse fell more than 60 percent from 1992 to 2010, according to David Finkelhor, a leading expert on sexual abuse who, with a colleague, Lisa Jones, has tracked the trend. The evidence for this decline comes from a variety of indicators, including national surveys of child abuse and crime victimization, crime statistics compiled by the F.B.I., analyses of data from the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect and annual surveys of grade school students in Minnesota, all pointing in the same direction.
While statistics may be lower that doesn't mean that child sexual abuse is lower. I have seen reports that less then 10% of children who are sexually abused report their abuse. http://www.heroproject.org/en/Why-are-children+afraid-to-tell And other reports that 50% of children who are sexually abused don't report their abuse. http://facts.randomhistory.com/child-sexual-abuse-facts.html There are many reasons that children don't come forward. Here are some examples: http://www.hopeandhealingga.org/csabuse.htm.
I honestly believe that stories like these are hurting children who are being sexually abused and are afraid to come forward. If society feels that the problem is declining then there won't be as much focus on this disgusting soul destroying epidemic. If we use inappropriate statistics to determine whether or not child sexual abuse is declining. It is very possible money available to help support programs that focus on educating on the impact of child sexual abuse will decrease. Why put money into a program when the problem seems to be fixed? While I appreciate Dr. Finklehor's research and his work in the field to help educate on crimes children experience. I wonder if he has done research into how many children don't report child sexual abuse? I think this would be very important to focus on before the media gets a hold of a story that is misleading. I also think it is wrong for the media to focus on just one researcher who has done research onto their belief that child sexual abuse is declining. It does a grave injustice to children in my opinion.
I am obviously comfortable talking about what I have experienced in my childhood. I share it a lot more now then I have ever. When I share my story it is always amazing to me how many other women and men have experienced the same thing. The numbers are large and for those who haven't experienced child sexual abuse they share stories of how many people they know who have. I am just scared that stories like this will slow down the hard work many are doing to educate on the epidemic of child sexual abuse. We are just getting started getting attention on child sexual abuse (especially with Sandusky and the Catholic Priest stories) and the momentum needs to continue. Please don't let stories like the LA and Tampa Times did confuse you on this epidemic. Rosie
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