Imaginif

Sydney’s Herald Sun (a reputable Australian newspaper) reports a prevalence figure of almost 1 in 2 Australian woman are survivors of sexual assault.

ALMOST half of Australian women aged 18-41 were sexually abused as a child.Research shows a staggering 45 per cent of women were abused as children by family members, friends or strangers.

Abuse ranged from non-contact behaviour — such as indecent exposure or being forced to watch pornography — through to rape.

A survey of 1300 women selected at random from electoral rolls by Griffith University psychology researchers found 80 per cent of victims knew their abusers.

It found 75 per cent of abuse involved some contact, most of which was shockingly severe, such as forced intercourse.

Study author Bronwyn Watson said it was the first community survey of its kind in Australia and the horrifying results were consistent with figures of child sex abuse in the US and Britain.

“The statistics are very high and most of the abuse was quite severe, which shocked.”

Dr Watson also found that many victims, especially those abused by family members, experienced relationship difficulties as adults, suffering twice the rate of divorce and domestic violence as the general population.

Centre Against Sexual Assault spokeswoman Helen Makregiorgos said that, anecdotally, about one in three women under 18 was sexually abused, but the new figures did not surprise her.

“We know the prevalence of child sexual abuse is hugely underestimated because the nature of the crime — perpetrated against children mostly by people they trust, such as fathers and brothers — is such that victims often don’t report it,” she said.

“They say nothing out of shame, fear of being blamed for the attack and fear of repercussions within the family. This is a community tragedy, but there are services to help victims.”

Dr Watson, to present her research today at the Australian Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy national conference in Queensland, said 30 per cent of victims were abused by family members and 50 per cent by friends who were either peers or family friends, while only 14 per cent were assaulted by strangers.

“These go against the notion of ’stranger danger’ but are consistent with figures overseas that most perpetrators are known.”

Abuse by family members tended to be more severe than abuse by friends or strangers.

It also tended to occur earlier, at an average age of nine compared with 12, was generally perpetrated over a longer time and had worse personal outcomes for victims.

The study revealed that although sexual assault by strangers was often quite violent, it was typically a one-off, less invasive and associated with fewer problems functioning in intimate adult relationships.

“We assumed incest resulted in the worst outcomes for women and now the evidence supports that,” Dr Watson said. “Abuse by a family member influences the child’s template for how relationships work and therefore has the most potential to damage future adult relationships.”

What’s your thoughts on such high figures of child sexual abuse? I am not surprised and this study supports many previous studies. If you were sexually assaulted as a child IT WAS NOT YOUR FAULT. There is no shame in being a survivor or for having kept the secret for so long. The responsibility for the abuse lies with the person who abused you - the person who knew what they were doing and purposely picked and groomed you because you were a child that few people would believe.

Sexual Assault must stop and must be an agenda item for daily living and child safety. Please help the cause by leaving a comment below and creating a discussion greater than those around confused Britney Spears, the beliefs or Ron Paul, or how unwobbly woobbly is. Imaginif child protection became serious business. Imaginif YOU made a statement against child sexual abuse and acted now to help your children stay safe.