| There are many myths surrounding sexual abuse, some of which are: |
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Myth: Child Sexual abuse is rare. Fact: Almost one in three girls and boys will be sexually assaulted before the age of eighteen. A child is sexually abused somewhere in the United States every minute. (Russell, Diana E.H. The Secret Trauma, NY:Basic Books, 1986 and Mendel, Matthews The Male Survivor: The Impact of Sexual Abuse, USA: Sage Publication, 1995.) Myth: Children always hate the person who abuse them. Fact: In most cases the abuser is someone the child knows and has some type of relationship with. Thus, the child often has mixed feelings, which may include love. Many children do not want to lose their relationship, they just want the abuse to stop. (Sexual Assault Support Services, 2001) Myth: Children lie about sexual abuse. Fact: Children rarely lie about sexual abuse. False reports may be initiated by one adult against another, with the child caught in between, but even this is rare. According to the FBI, false allegations of sexual abuse are as rare as false allegations of any other crime, about three percent. Children are afraid to tell, so when they do, it is a serious matter. (Sexual Assault Support Services, 2001) Myth: Most cases of sexual abuse are reported to the authorities. Fact: The FBI estimated that less than 15% of child sexual abuse incidences are reported to authorities, the typical child sex offender molests an average of 168 children, most of whom do not report the offense. (National Institute of Mental Health, 1988) |