Allbooks Review International works with authors from all over the world both traditionally published and POD. Once a year we like to award those with a special talent.
THANK YOU FOR MAKING Shattered Reality a 2010 WINNER!!
Child Sexual Assault.
What do you think when you hear those words? It won’t ever happen to my child. My children know all about “Stranger Danger”. My child will never fall prey. My child will tell me if someone tries to hurt them. I will know if something is wrong.
Think again!
Child sexual assault is one of the horrific silent epidemics that is hurting children all over the world. It will affect one in 3 girls and one in 7 boys by the time they are 18 years old. Yet it is something that no one wants to talk about. There seems to be a disconnect in believing humans capable of such behavior and insisting it exists. The concept is hard to grasp but is very much a reality. So, as parents how do we protect our children from such things occurring? Education and prevention are key and as adults we are the one responsible for prevention. To do this, we need to arm our children with as much information as possible and we also need to believe our children should they report abuse to us.
DID YOU KNOW?
*Every 10 SECONDS a child is abused, raped or killed in the U.S.
*Today up to 5 children will die from abuse or neglect
*In 13 seconds, another child will be abused in the U.S
*ONLY 28% of the children identified as harmed by abuse are investigated
*85% of the 1.2 - 1.5 million runaways are fleeing abuse at home
*Today 6 children will commit suicide
*Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death (ages 15-24)
*Untreated child abuse increases the likelihood of arrest for a violent crime by 38 percent
*60 MILLION survivors are former victims of child sexual abuse in America today
*38% of all women & 20% of all men have been sexually abused by the end of adolescence
*The typical child sex offender molests an average of 117 children--most of whom do not report the offense
~~~ Imagine the outcry if these statistics represented a disease, which was wiping out 5 children per day, victimizing millions, and who's by-products where disabilities & expanding violence. Youth rights are really about human rights, and simple empathy is a giant first step to the benefits of increased awareness. The high jump in child abuse statistics shows the importance of youth rights by showing cases of frightening lack of knowledge!!~~~
....Go ahead....IT'S TIME TO GET ANGRY ABOUT CHILD ABUSE IN OUR NATION!!
The saddest fact about Child Sexual Assault is the lack of knowledge and education that still exists on the subject. DO YOU REALIZE that close to 95% of all offenders are KNOWN to the victim?? They are not those scary monsters you see on Criminal Minds and Law and Order. They are the EVERYDAY people in our lives! The very ones we trust and love and children need to know it’s okay to tell and we will believe. Silence, Ignorance and Apathy are the Child Predator's Greatest Allies!
What can we do?
Traditional sexual abuse programs refer to themselves as prevention programs, and by doing so, set the expectation that children can and should stop sexual abuse. That is an unfair expectation. To truly prevent something is to stop it before it happens. The only people who can prevent abuse are the perpetrators. So, prevention programs should be targeted at perpetrators, adults and teens and even society as a whole-but not children. Prevention is not the job of children. Society doesn’t expect children to prevent, or even stop, physical abuse. Programs to prevent physical abuse are targeted at adults. So, why do we expect children to prevent, or even stop, sexual abuse? That is an unreasonable expectation.
While it is unfair to EXPECT children to prevent or stop physical or sexual abuse, it is also unfair to fail to provide them with information, skills and an environment of openness that may help them to avoid, stop or tell about abusive experiences. It is important that the education we provide to children be presented in a way that is helpful to all children and does not inadvertently increase the feelings of guilt and shame experienced by children who have already suffered from abuse or who experiences abuse after the education is provided.
Once Again – Thank you all for making Shattered Reality a success – a winning book, helping other parents understand the effects sexual assault has on entire families and hopefully one day – with many voices – making a change in our legal system when it comes to educating prosecutors, judges, juries, advocates about the mindset, the fragility, the special needs of our small victims when it comes time to prosecute offenders.
Just like our Country has made a difference for those in Haiti – WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR OUR OWN CHILDREN!
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Readers of Shattered Reality will:
- Realize a deeper understanding on the effects of child abuse not only on the victim but on the family
- Learn that hope is always within reach and others who have been there that can help
- Discover how surviving abuse (even as a parent/caregiver or family member)can become personal strength.
- Gain insights into putting the pieces back together again and reclaiming your rights
- Believe that happiness can be achieve
In the grand scale of things I am just a tiny and insignificant writer with a modest following. No matter the number, I am so grateful to all of those who take their time to read what I present. Those who take the time to judge me by the content of my writings will understand that I have a very simple and humble message to share. My work is about real people, relationships and experiences that we can all learn from. My quest as a writer is certainly not about me, for I am far too unimportant. I am just a student of the world; a minuscule, and frail embodied consciousness struggling to understand, and be a meaningful part of this great, mysterious play of life, which is set on the stage of our baffling home in the universe.
Like most people, I have been carried where I am by the currents of life. I have one oar in the water, and do what I can against the rushing forces that surround me, but I know that I am mostly just along for the ride.
Thank you for sharing the ride with me...(You can buy your copy today at: Amazon, Barnes and Noble,)
Guy -
Thank you so very much for the nice comment. Education is key. 95% of CSA victims KNOW their abuser which makes it so much more difficult to "tell" and it is very hard to prosecute these "he said/ she said" cases, even when their are witnesses and evidence. People just don't want to "believe".
What a wonderful parent you are! Keep an open mind and listen to those kids - they don't lie!
Best - Kim
Posted by: Kimberly Cheryl | January 28, 2010 at 07:28 PM
I stumbled on to your website through LinkedIn and wanted to say thanks for taking the lead in promoting this cause. I am a daddy of 5 girls and 1 boy and need to be constantly reminded to be on guard and watching those who care for my children, even in church. I don't ever want to be cynical towards people, but I understand that being naive is unacceptable too! Awareness and always knowing who is with your children when you are not is critical.
Posted by: Guy | January 28, 2010 at 11:46 AM