Article 2

ARTICLE 2
The Dark Legacy of Child Abuse

By Adele Horin
A hidden history of child abuse may lie behind the myriad social
problems that afflict Australia, from its high rate of depression to its high
rate of homelessness. We are more aware, partly thanks to the wayward
Catholic clergy, of the existence of child abuse. But that has not
translated into an understanding of its pervasive and long-lasting legacy.
In a room of 100 women, 12 or 13 on average would have experienced
sexual abuse as a child; in a room of 100 men, at least four or five would
be survivors of sexual abuse. These figures come from the 2005
Australian Bureau of Statistics personal safety survey, and some in the
field consider them conservative. Even so, it amounts to a substantial
proportion of the population before one factors in the other forms of
childhood abuse - physical, emotional and neglect.
Yet the enduring impact of childhood sexual abuse is rarely given a

second thought when politicians and policymakers propose tough
solutions to crime or welfare dependency, for example. If the possibility
was entertained that deep trauma lies behind so many perplexing,
infuriating and self-defeating behaviours, the response could be more
compassionate and helpful.
Because it is the ultimate taboo, the question is rarely asked of people in
deep trouble, and even the more sensitive inquiry about childhood
''trauma'' is hardly standard. Those who have experienced sexual abuse
in their early life are not usually quick to tell. So we don't know for sure
what proportion of prisoners, homeless people or people with mental
illness, for example, have been raped or molested as children.
A sliver of data indicates the possible high prevalence of such childhood

trauma among marginalised groups. When the question was asked of
girls in NSW juvenile justice detention centres in 2009, almost 40 per
cent had a history of sexual abuse.
The recently released findings of the Young People in Custody Health
Survey show that the average age of first having sex was 13, and that
nearly one-third of the girls had been pregnant.
Without a recognition of the secret history of sexual assaults in the early

lives of so many people with seemingly intractable problems, it is hard to
know whether a tough response is the right one. It seems doubtful that
locking up all those girls in detention centres is the appropriate therapy.
But then again, those on the outside have had little access to therapeutic
help in Australia's hitherto underfunded child and adolescent mental
health services.
Most victims of child sexual assault do not end up in jail or on the streets.
As with all traumas, an individual's response is shaped by their
personality and intelligence, and family support, and, in the case of
victims of rape or molestation, by whether they are believed by the adults
they confide in. There is some evidence that in the hierarchy of sins
perpetrated against children, it is parental neglect that does the most
damage.
Even so, the risk factors are high that childhood sexual assault will leave
a permanent mark. A 2010 Victorian study by Margaret Cutajar and
others found the suicide risk was 18 times higher among adult survivors
of child sex abuse than in the general population. An Australian
universities study found that even in later life the adult survivors of abuse
were 4½ times more likely to be unhappy than people who had not
suffered such a trauma.
Therapists write of patients overwhelmed by shame and self-hatred,

subject to storms of depression that interfere with their ability to form
intimate relationships; of chaotic lives, and a sense of safety and trust
eroded .Awareness is the start of understanding and prevention. Some
heartening evidence emerged in an Australian study by Michael Dunne
and others that the incidence of child sexual abuse may be in decline. In
2000, people aged 18 to 29 were less likely to have reported unwanted
penetrative or non-penetrative sex before the age of 16 than older age
groups, right up to 59-year-olds. It was worse; it seems, in the ''good old
days''.
Better sex education and more openness about sex have punctured the
naivety that was disastrous for children in the past. Children are better
able to recognise, rebuff and report ''bad'' touching. And the end of
institutional care of children has also been protective. Last month the
NSW Police Commissioner, Andrew Scipione, described child sex abuse
as the ''monster that is eating at the very heart of our society''. He
revealed that more than half the state's 6042 victims of sexual assault in
2009 were 15 or under.
Outrage should not end when the children who are the victims grow up.
A history of rape or molestation in childhood is perhaps no more valid an
excuse than other early misfortunes for criminal, indolent, or out-of-
control behaviour in later life. But unless we can provide the right
response, better access to the therapy that helps children and adults
alike, exhorting survivors of childhood sexual abuse to ''get on with it''
seems particularly hard-hearted. In formulating harsh policy responses to
long-term welfare recipients, juvenile delinquents or other unpopular
marginalised groups, the possibility should be held in mind that they are
carrying the terrible legacy of childhood sexual abuse and need help to
recover.
Adapted from: The Dark Legacy of Child Abuse

Retrieved October 10, 2015 from http://www.smh.com.au/it-pro/the-dark-
legacy-of-child-abuse-20110701-1gv68.html#ixzz3pDngJPlx

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The Dark Legacy of Child Abuse

Yet the enduring impact of childhood sexual abuse is rarely given a

A sliver of data indicates the possible high prevalence of such childhood

Without a recognition of the secret history of sexual assaults in the early

Therapists write of patients overwhelmed by shame and self-hatred,

Adapted from: The Dark Legacy of Child Abuse

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