DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ABUSE

Introduction
 Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred
to as molestation, is abusive sexual
behavior by one person upon another.
 It is often perpetrated using force or by
taking advantage of another. 
 Molestation often refers to an instance of
sexual assault against a small child, whereas
sexual abuse is a term used for a persistent
pattern of sexual assaults. 
 The offender is referred to as a sexual
abuser or (often pejoratively) molester. 
 The term also covers behavior by an
adult or older adolescent towards a child
to stimulate any of the involved sexually.
 The use of a child, or other individuals
younger than the age of consent, for sexual
stimulation is referred to as child sexual
abuse or statutory rape. 
  Live streaming sexual abuse involves
trafficking and coerced sexual acts and
or rape in real time on webcam.
Definition
 Sexual abuse is unwanted sexual
activity, with perpetrators using force,
making threats or taking advantage of
victims not able to give consent.
 Most victims and perpetrators know
each other.
 Immediate reactions to sexual abuse
include shock, fear or disbelief.
 Long-term symptoms include anxiety,
fear or post-traumatic stress disorder.
 While efforts to treat sex offenders
remain unpromising, psychological
interventions for survivors — especially
group therapy — appears effective.

 Sexual abuse is generally defined as any

illegal, nonconsensual, or inappropriate
 contact or exposure of genitalia, including
sexual humiliation.
 However, legal definitions of sexual
abuse vary considerably.
 For instance, some agencies (i.e.,
Federal Bureau of Investigation) have
defined rape as attempted or completed
vaginal intercourse with a female by force
and against her will, whereas states have
adopted unique qualifiers for this term, such
as gender neutrality; anal or oral penetration;
insertion of objects; and being unable to
give sexual consent because of mental
illness, mental retardation, or intoxication.
 Other common patterns of sexual abuse
include, but are not limited to, being forced
to observe or perform pornography and
fondling or kissing the genitalia of a child or
nonconsenting adult.
Victims
Spouses
 Spousal sexual abuse is a form of domestic
violence.
 When the abuse involves threats of
unwanted sexual contact or forced sex by a
woman's husband or ex-husband, it may
constitute rape, depending on the
jurisdiction, and may also constitute an
assault.
Children
 Child sexual abuse is a form of child
abuse in which a child is abused for the
sexual gratification of an adult or older
adolescent. 
 It includes direct sexual contact, the adult or
otherwise older person engaging indecent
exposure (of the genitals, female nipples,
etc.) to a child with intent to gratify their
own sexual desires or to intimidate or groom
the child, asking or pressuring a child to
engage in sexual activities,
 displaying pornography to a child, or using a
child to produce child pornography.
Effects of child sexual abuse include:
Shame, self-blame,
depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress
disorder, self-esteem issues, sexual
dysfunction, chronic pelvic pain,
addiction, self-injury, suicidal
ideation, borderline personality disorder, and
propensity to re-victimization in adulthood.
Child sexual abuse is a risk factor for
attempting suicide.
Additionally, some studies have shown
childhood sexual abuse to be a risk factor of
the perpetration of intimate partner violence
in men. 
Much of the harm caused to victims
becomes apparent years after the abuse
happens.
With specific regard to addiction, a study by
Reiger et al. supports previous findings that
adverse life events increase sensitivity to
drug rewards and bolster drug reward
 signaling by exposing an association
between heightened limbic response to
cocaine cues.
Sexual abuse by a family member is a form
of incest, which can result in severe long-
term psychological trauma, especially in the
case of parental incest.
Incidence
 Globally, approximately 18–19% of
women and 8% of men disclose being
sexually abused during their childhood.
 The gender gap may be caused by higher
victimization of girls, lower willingness of
men to disclose abuse, or both. 
 Most sexual abuse offenders are
acquainted with their victims; approximately
30% are relatives of the child, most often
fathers, uncles or cousins; around 60% are
other acquaintances such as friends of the
family, babysitters, or neighbors; strangers
are the offenders in approximately 10% of
child sexual abuse cases.
  Most child sexual abuse is committed by
men; women commit approximately 14% of
offenses reported against boys and 6% of
offenses reported against girls. 
 Child sexual abuse offenders are
not pedophiles unless they have a primary or
exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent
children.
People with developmental disabilities
o People with developmental disabilities are
often victims of sexual abuse.
o According to research, people with
disabilities are at a greater risk
for victimization of sexual assault or sexual
abuse because of lack of understanding.
Elderly and people with dementia
 Elderly people, especially those with
dementia, can be at risk of abuse.
 There were over 6,000 "safeguarding
concerns and alerts" at UK care homes from
2013 to 2015.
  These included alleged inappropriate
touching and worse allegations.
 Offenders were most often other residents
but staff also offended.
 It is suspected some care homes may
deliberately overlook these offenses.
People in poverty
 People in poverty, including those
from developing countries, are vulnerable
to forced prostitution live streaming sexual
abuse, and other forms of molestation.
 Victims who come from families in
poverty often have less connections, power,
protection, and education about sex crimes.
Minorities
 Sexual abuse is a problem in some
minority communities.
 In 2007, a number of Hispanic victims
were included in the settlement of a
massive sexual abuse case involving the Los
Angeles archdiocese of the Catholic Church.
  A qualitative study by Kim et al.
discusses the experiences of sexual abuse in
the US population of Mexican immigrant
women, citing immigration, acculturation,
and several other social elements as risk
factors for abuse.
Treatment
 In the emergency
department, contraceptive medications are
offered to women raped by men because
about 5% of such rapes result in pregnancy. 
 Preventative medication against sexually
transmitted infections are given to victims of
all types of sexual abuse (especially for the
most common diseases
like chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomonas and 
bacterial vaginosis) and a blood serum is
collected to test for STIs (such
as HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis).
 Any survivor with abrasions are immunized
for tetanus if 5 years have elapsed since the
last immunization.
  Short-term treatment with
a benzodiazepine may help with acute
anxiety and antidepressants may be helpful
for symptoms of PTSD, depression and
panic attacks.
 Sexual abuse has been linked to the
development of psychotic symptoms in
abused children.
 Treatment for psychotic symptoms may also
be involved in sexual abuse treatment.
 In regards to long term psychological
treatment, prolonged exposure therapy has
been tested as a method of long-term PTSD
treatment for victims of sexual abuse.
Prevention
 Child sexual abuse prevention
programmes were developed in the United
States of America during the 1970s and
originally delivered to children.
 Programmes delivered to parents were
developed in the 1980s and took the form of
one-off meetings, two to three hours long.
  In the last 15 years, web-based
programmes have been developed.
Survivor
The term survivor is sometimes used for a
living victim, including victims of non-fatal
harm, to honor and empower the strength of
an individual to heal, in particular a living
victim of sexual abuse or assault. 
For example, there are the Survivors
Network of those Abused by Priests and The
Survivors Trust.
Positions of Power
o Sexual misconduct can occur where one
person uses a position of authority to compel
another person to engage in an otherwise
unwanted sexual activity.
o For example, sexual harassment in the
workplace might involve an employee being
coerced into a sexual situation out of fear of
being dismissed. 
o Sexual harassment in education might
involve a student submitting to the sexual
advances of a person in authority in fear of
being punished, for example by being given
a failing grade.
o Several sexual abuse scandals have
involved abuse of religious authority and
often cover-up among non-abusers,
including cases in the Southern Baptist
Convention,
o Catholic
Church, Episcopalian religion, Islam,
Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutheran church,
Methodist Church, Anabaptist/Mennonite
Church, 
o The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints, Orthodox
Judaism, other branches of Judaism, various
buddhist schools such
as Zen and Tibetan, Yoga classes, and
various cults.
 What You Can Do
 Open Up! Writing About Trauma Reduces
Stress, Aids Immunity
Writing about difficult, even traumatic,
experiences appears to be good for health on
several levels - raising immunity and other
health measures and improving life functioning.
 Recovering emotionally from disaster
Understanding the emotions and normal
responses that follow a disaster or other
traumatic event can help you cope with your
feelings, thoughts, and behaviors.
Getting Help
 Protecting our children from abuse and neglect
A brochure written for parents, teachers,
relatives and those who care for children on how
to recognize and prevent child abuse and
neglect. Provides information on causes and
what happens to abused and neglected children.
 Memories of Childhood Abuse
Tips to help you better understand how
repressed, recovered or suggested memories
may occur and what you can do if you or a
family member is concerned about a childhood
memory.
Acute Traumatic Findings of Sexual Assault
and Sexual Abuse
 Victims of sexual assault who present
acutely may show evidence of physical
trauma other than genital injuries.
 Bruises and abrasions of the head, face,
neck, chest, abdomen, forearms, knees, and
thighs are more common
 On occasion, even more severe non-
genital injuries are encountered.

Effect of Sexual Abuse on Childhood Sexual

Knowledge and Behavior
 Sexual abuse affects children's sexual
knowledge, as well as their sexual behavior.
 Furthermore, sexually abused children
have been found to have greater frequencies
of a wide range of sexual behaviors in
comparison with normative samples and
 with children who were clinically referred
with no known history of sexual abuse. 
 Sexually abused preschool-aged children
are at greater risk for inappropriate sexual
behaviors (35%) than are sexually abused
school-aged children (6%).
 Although most sexually abused children
do not demonstrate SBPs, the presence of
SBPs raises concern about child sexual
abuse and exposure to sexual material.
 Professionals need to be well aware of
the child abuse reporting statutes in their
jurisdiction, because reports of suspected
sexual abuse may be necessary.
 Specific sexual behaviors (such as
playing with dolls imitating explicit sexual
acts and inserting objects in their own
vaginas or rectums) are more likely to occur
in children who have been sexually abused
than in those who do not have a suspected
history.
 The presence of sexual behavior may be
enough to suspect sexual abuse and report to
 authorities for investigation; however,
sexual behavior itself cannot be a sole
determining factor for diagnosing sexual
abuse.
 Confirming sexual abuse in young
children is quite complex, because often
there is no physical evidence and no
witnesses, and aspects of the abuse (e.g.,
threats by the perpetrator) hamper clear
reporting by the child.
 Additional information on identification
and reporting of and response to suspected
sexual abuse is provided.

Body Image and Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse has been shown to have long-
lasting emotional and physical effects on
women regardless of the age when the
trauma occurred.
Survivors of sexual abuse often internalize
their symptoms that may lead to depression.
In addition, studies have shown that
following sexual abuse, women have
difficulty trusting in relationships, poor self-
esteem, sexual problems, and higher rates of
substance abuse.
Due to the physical and emotional violation
that occurs in sexual abuse, it would seem
likely that there would be dramatic impact
on body image.
A study using a matched sample from
women who responded to a magazine survey
found that women who had been sexually
abused reported more body dissatisfaction
and more self-consciousness about their
appearance compared to those who had not
been abused.
Also, women who had been sexually abused
reported less comfort undressing in front of
their partner and having sex with the lights
on.
It is estimated that 1 in 6 women is sexually
abused. One study found that women who
were abused prior to age 12 were more
likely to have body dissatisfaction and meet
criteria for eating disorders.
 They speculate that early childhood sexual
abuse may predispose females to eating
disorders later in life.

Domestic Violence/Domestic Abuse

 Domestic abuse, also called "domestic
violence" or "intimate partner violence", can
be defined as a pattern of behavior in any
relationship that is used to gain or maintain
power and control over an intimate partner.
 Abuse is physical, sexual, emotional,
economic or psychological actions or threats
of actions that influence another person.
 This includes any behaviors that frighten,
intimidate, terrorize, manipulate, hurt,
humiliate, blame, injure, or wound someone.
 Domestic abuse can happen to anyone of
any race, age, sexual orientation, religion, or
gender.
 It can occur within a range of
relationships including couples who are
married, living together or dating.
  Domestic violence affects people of all
socioeconomic backgrounds and education
levels. 
Victims
 Anyone can be a victim of domestic
violence, regardless of age, race, gender,
sexual orientation, faith or class.
 Victims of domestic abuse may also
include a child or other relatives, or any other
household member.
 Domestic abuse is typically manifested as
a pattern of abusive behavior toward an
intimate partner in a dating or family
relationship, where the abuser exerts power
and control over the victim.
 Domestic abuse can be mental, physical,
economic or sexual in nature.
 Incidents are rarely isolated, and usually
escalate in frequency and severity.
 Domestic abuse may culminate in serious
physical injury or death.
Are You Being Abused?
Look over the following questions to think about
how you are being treated and how you treat your
partner.
Recognizing The Signs of Domestic Abuse
Does your partner…
 Embarrass or make fun of you in front of
your friends or family?
 Put down your accomplishments?
 Make you feel like you are unable to make
decisions?
 Use intimidation or threats to gain
compliance?
 Tell you that you are nothing without them?
 Treat you roughly—grab, push, pinch, shove
or hit you?
 Call you several times a night or show up to
make sure you are where you said you
would be?
 Use drugs or alcohol as an excuse for saying
hurtful things or abusing you?
  Blame you for how they feel or act?
 Pressure you sexually for things you aren’t
ready for?
 Make you feel like there is “no way out” of
the relationship?
 Prevent you from doing things you want –
like spending time with friends or family?
 Try to keep you from leaving after a fight or
leave you somewhere after a fight to “teach
you a lesson”?
Do you do the following?
 Sometimes feel scared of how your partner
may behave?
 Constantly make excuses to other people for
your partner’s behaviour?
 Believe that you can help your partner
change if only you changed something about
yourself?
 Try not to do anything that would cause
conflict or make your partner angry?
 Always do what your partner wants you to
do instead of what you want?
  Stay with your partner because you are
afraid of what your partner would do if you
broke up?
If any of these things are happening in your
relationship, talk to someone. Without help, the
abuse will continue. Making that first call to seek
help is a courageous step.
 Always remember that
 NO ONE deserves to be abused. The abuse
is not your fault. You are not alone.
 DON’T worry about threats to your visa. We
have information about visa options for your
situation.
 DON’T worry if you do not speak the local
language. We can get you help in many
Languages.
Forms of Abuse
 Physical and sexual assaults, or threats to
commit them, are the most apparent forms of
domestic abuse and violence and are usually
 the actions that allow others to become aware
of the problem.
 However, regular use of other abusive
behaviors by the abuser, when reinforced by
one or more acts of physical violence, make
up a larger system of abuse.
 Although physical assaults may occur
only once or occasionally, they instill the fear
of future violent attacks and allow the abuser
to take control of the victim's life and
circumstances.
Power and Control Wheel
 The Power & Control wheel is a particularly
helpful tool in understanding the overall
pattern of abusive and violent behaviors,
which are used by an abuser to establish and
maintain control over his/her partner or any
other victim in the household.
 Very often, one or more violent incidents
may be accompanied by an array of these
other types of abuse.
 They are less easily identified, yet firmly
establish a pattern of intimidation and control
in the relationship.
Emotional abuse includes undermining a
person's sense of self-worth through constant
criticism; belittling one's abilities; name-calling
or other verbal abuse; damaging a partner's
relationship with the children; or not letting a
partner see friends and family. You may be in an
emotionally abusive relationship if your partner:
 Calls you names, insults you or continually
criticizes you.
 Does not trust you and acts in a jealous or
possessive manner.
 Tries to isolate you from family or friends.
 Monitors where you go, whom you call and
with whom you spend your time.
 Does not want you to work.
 Controls finances or refuses to share money.
 Punishes you by withholding affection.
 Expects you to ask permission.
 Threatens to hurt you, the children, your
family or your pets.
 Humiliates you in any way.
Psychological abuse: involves causing fear by
intimidation; threatening physical harm to self,
partner or children; destruction of pets and
property; “mind games”; or forcing isolation
from friends, family, school and/or work.
Financial or economic abuse: involves making
or attempting to make a person financially
dependent by maintaining total control over
financial resources, withholding access to money,
and/or forbidding attendance at school or
employment.
Physical abuse: involves hurting or trying to hurt
a partner by hitting, kicking, burning, grabbing,
pinching, shoving, slapping, hair-pulling, biting,
denying medical care or forcing alcohol and/or
drug use, or using other physical force. You may
be in a physically abusive relationship if your
partner:
 Damages property when angry (throws
objects, punches walls, kicks doors, etc.).
 Pushes, slaps, bites, kicks or chokes you.
  Abandons you in a dangerous or unfamiliar
place.
 Scares you by driving recklessly.
 Uses a weapon to threaten or hurt you.
 Forces you to leave your home.
 Traps you in your home or keeps you from
leaving.
 Prevents you from calling police or seeking
medical attention.
 Hurts your children.
 Uses physical force in sexual situations.
Sexual abuse: involves forcing a partner to take
part in a sex act when the partner does not
consent. You may be in a sexually abusive
relationship if your partner:
 Accuses you of cheating or is often jealous
of your outside relationships.
 Wants you to dress in a sexual way.
 Insults you in sexual ways or calls you
sexual names.
 Has ever forced or manipulated you into
having sex or performing sexual acts.
  Holds you down during sex.
 Demands sex when you are sick, tired or
after beating you.
 Hurts you with weapons or objects during
sex.
 Involves other people in sexual activities
with you.
 Ignores your feelings regarding sex.
Stalking involves any pattern of behavior that
serves no legitimate purpose and is intended to
harass, annoy, or terrorize the victim. Typical
stalking activities include repeated telephone
calls, unwelcome letters or gifts by mail,
surveillance at work, home and other places that
the victim is known to frequent. Stalking usually
escalates.
For Survivors
 No one deserves to be abused. The abuse is
not your fault. You are not alone.
 Contact the Critical Incident Stress
Management Unit (CISMU) if you are
 concerned that you may be experiencing any
form of abuse or are in fear for the safety of
yourself or your children.
 If English is not your first language, you can
request a language you feel more
comfortable speaking when contacting
CISMU to provide support.
 You can also see Support Organizations to
identify and contact an appropriate resource
for your assistance (for both US and
International).
 Read how you can protect your digital
privacy.
For Concerned Staff - How Can You Help?
How you can help victims of domestic abuse?
 Listen and believe the abused person to let
them know they are not alone.
 Encourage her/him seek support through a
confidential hotline to connect with a
professional in the field.
  Express concern for him/her, show support,
and offer referrals to available resources.
 If you have not been directly approached but
have reason to believe that a colleague may
be in an abusive relationship, consult with
your Organization’s Counselling or
Ombudsman’s Office >
Note: Keep in mind that a survivor often makes
several attempts to leave the abusive relationship
before succeeding.
For Abusive Partner - Are You an Abuser?
 If you recognize that you are mistreating
your partner, there may be resources in your
community to assist you end the abuse.
The National Domestic Violence
Hotline has a number of resources that can
assist. While this a US Hotline, the advice
and information may be useful no matter
where you live.
 Understand that the domestic abuse is not
only against the United Nations code of
 conduct, but you may be subject to criminal
prosecution under the law that is applicable
in the duty station where you work.
Conclusion
In Nigeria, women would usually
face physical violence at the hands of their
loved ones, family members, and the
society.
The most common forms of this violence
include rape, murder, slapping, and kicking. 
Some possible reasons given for this assaults
include drunk state of spouses, financial
issues resulting in cases of possible
frustration, and the rejection of sexual
advances from the partner.
Relationship inequality is also a strong
indicator of physical violence.
High levels of wife beating occur when the
woman is making more money than her
husband or partner.
This has been attributed to the lack of
control the male partner feels within the
relationship.
Women also often link the perpetration of
physical violence with husbands who are
very controlling.
Women who justify wife beating are more
likely to be victims of physical violence.
Another form of violence which has
received a lot of recent attention in Nigeria
is acid baths.
Acid baths are actions of violence where the
perpetrator throws acid onto his or her
victim's body, resulting in disfigurement and
possible loss of eyesight.
Acid baths are a large issue for women that
needs to be addressed. In 1990, a former
beauty queen rejected her boyfriend's
attempts to rekindle their relationship.
In retaliation, he threw acid in her face with
the words "let me see how any man will love
you now".