SLIDE 2
ADULT SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL ABUSE
This presentation has been designed to assess the impact of sexual abuse on those who become victims to such a heinous act. We rarely discuss the implications and consequences of the act that is committed so shamelessly. The survivors are subjected to the injustice of being deprived of any help or counseling that they could otherwise receive, and those helping them are stymied my innumerable social factors. At this point, it is significant to realize what we mean by the phrase ‘Adult survivors of sexual abuse’. Adult survivors of sexual abuse are the unfortunate people who have been through the torture of being molested, either as children or at any point during their adult lives. But the trauma of the act isn’t the only torment they are forced to endure. They additionally have to live through the physical and psychological aftermaths as well.
SLIDE 3
ADULT SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL ABUSE
Victims of sexual abuse face greater risks of domestic violence and partner rapes toward the later part of their lives. Psychologists attribute this to a sense of vulnerability and a sense of having become polluted that the victims suffer through. Sex offenders detect and exploit this vulnerability in the victims even further. The ratio of reported rape cases is higher in females than it is in males. (Kilpatrick et al., 2011)
SLIDE 4
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Before exploring this issue further, let us understand a few terms in context.
Sexual Abuse: Sexual abuse refers to committing an act of having sex without the other person’s consent, or forcing the other person to indulge in the act without his/her will. Victims of sexual abuse could be male or female and could belong to any age group.
Adult Survivor of SA: Adult survivors of sexual abuse are people who have suffered through the act of being raped.
Disclosure: Disclosure is when the sexual abuse survivor discloses the fact of being raped.
SLIDE 5
HISTORICAL EVENTS
Sexual Abuse is not a recent concept. Cases have occurred for as far back as we could recall. Before 1974, only rape was given status of a sex crime. Sexual assault was a concept that did not form part of this category. In 1976, a march, ‘take back the night’ was organized to protest sexual assault against women. In 1990, advocates were struggled to celebrate April as ‘sexual assault awareness month. Lots of cases of child abuse are being reported lately, one example being the Rochdale sexual abuse case (falselyaccused.co.uk, 2014). A survey conducted by the central disease control discovered that out of 17000 adults, 16 percent men, and 25 percent women declared that they were victims of sexual abuse.
SLIDE 6
CULTURAL IMPLICATIONS
Sexually abusive behavior gives way to a number of cultural implications. Sexual behaviors could be perceived differently in different cultures. Practices that are considered to be abusive in one culture may not be considered abnormal in others. An example that explains the concept best is the case of two Filipino nannies. Some accused the two of being involved in child abuse attributing to the fact that they caused them to masturbate. The nannies however argued that the practiced methods were legal in the Philippines (Ahn & Gilbert, 1992). At the same time, women in Brazil perceive the sexual advancements of the men as routine practice. In the same manner, sexual abuse in Russia is not considered as a serious offence and laws regarding sexual abuse are not taken seriously. In Japan, the laws governing sexual abuse are non-existent (Michele and Sue, 1999). In some cultures, acts like touching the private parts of others, whether children or adults, are not regarded as reprehensible. (Ahn & Gilbert, 1992)
SLIDE 7
SEXUAL ABUSE LAWS
Unites states law is governed by local, federal and state laws against sexual abuse. The said laws extend to all the states. The laws may however vary from one state to another. Some of the common features are as follows
- Many States have passed Rape Shield Laws to protect victims of Sexual Abuse.
- These laws address the issues like mandatory reporting, screening reports, responding to abuse and laws limiting criminal prosecution.
- Guard the identity of alleged rape victims.
SLIDE 8
Federal Laws
Michigan 1975 Criminal Sexual Conduct Statute
The criminal sexual conduct statute passed in Michigan in 1975 serves as a model for numerous, successive reforms. It focuses on the benefit of physical force rather than affirmative consent and encompasses all forms of sexual conduct.
United States Model Penal Code
The first Federal law against sexual abuse was the United States Model penal code enacted in 1962 (The Advocates for Human Rights, 2014). The law however has considerable shortcomings. Firstly, it does not address the issue of rape within a marriage. Also, the law significantly limits the scope of the word Sexual abuse.
Violence against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994
The violence against the women act, 1994 is an influential law that construes sexual assault as a violation of civil rights.
SLIDE 9
LOCAL CALIFORNIA LAWS
California Sexual Battery Law or Sexual Assault Law and Penal Code Section 289
These laws ban the touching of intimate parts of another person without consent in order to abuse, arouse, or gratify (Shouse California, 2014). In the events of violation, misdemeanor, felony or sexual battery charges could be filed. Punishments include jail time for a term of up to one year and a fine of up to $3000.
SLIDE 10
CURRENT LITIGATION IN the US
The most famous litigation in the USA includes the following:
- Major Sexual Assault Settlement
The students of the University of Connecticut were sexually assaulted, and in response, they filed complaints about violation of civil rights. The university was compelled to pay $1.3 million to exist and alumni students in settlement of the litigation for mishandling cases of sexual abuse (New, 2014).
- Boy Scouts of America Abuse Cases:
Child abuse was committed by Leaders of Boy Scouts and officials during Boy Scout camps and other activities (The Senators Firm, 2014).
- Los Angeles Public School District Abuse Cases:
Child abuse cases of students of elementary school at Miramonte and George de la Torre Jr. elementary schools are growing extensively (The Senators Firm, 2014).
SLIDE 11
This is a picture of Martin MacNeill. He has been convicted for adult sexual abuse and is sentenced to imprisonment.
SLIDE 12
Dr. Martin Mac Neill has been sentenced to imprisonment for a term that may lengthen to any term between one and fifteen years for the crime of abusing his daughter in 2007 (Ben, 2014). Alex Somers, the rape victim call her father a ‘monster’ and confessed before the court that she had been assaulted twice after her mother’s death. According to her, she was not the sole victim of the blasphemy. Mac Neill was also convicted for his wife’s murder.
SLIDE 13
CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS
- All of the earlier case studies have provided proof that sexual abuse victims suffer from anxiety, difficulty in establishing intimate relationships, and are more likely to depict suicidal behavior. (Boulware, Carole, 2006)
- Treatment, therefore, is necessary for rape and abuse victims. It may become essential to force the victims to recall the traumatic chain of events in order to uncover further details, and help the victim deal with the disturbance. (Cornell & Olio, 1991)
- Post-Traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most common after-effect found in assault targets.
- It is essential for the therapists to develop a trustworthy relationship with the victim in order to facilitate smooth interaction. Cognitive therapy may prove useful for this purpose as it may be successful in addressing anger, depression, and anxiety. The cognitive therapy teaches the patients to deal with feelings of depression and dejection
SLIDE 14
OTHER BEHAVIORAL TRAITS OF SA SURVIVORS
There are many behavior traits that are commonly seen in survivors of sexual abuse. It is not necessary for all warning signs to manifest though.
SLIDE 15
TREATMENT MODALITIES
PTSD treatment for rape victims is mostly tailor to individual needs. A few of the general treatments are mentioned as follows.
- Group Therapy: Different victims suffering through the sexual trauma are brought together so that they can share experiences, and find collective and individual ways for overcoming the aftereffects.
- Family Therapy: Involves the help of immediate family members where they reconnect and unify with the patient in order to comfort him.
- Multiple Therapies: Multiple therapies comprise of a blend of therapies, including group and family therapies.
SLIDE 16
TREATMENTS (CONTINUED)
- Individual treatment: this treatment is planned precisely keeping the patient’s psychological situation into consideration. The victim is mostly accompanied by one of his/her immediate family member.
- Dyadic treatment: This treatment focuses on strengthening of the relationship between the patient and his/her family members. Typical examples are Husband wife therapy and parent-child therapy.
- Cognitive Therapy: This type of therapy focuses of the patient’s feeling of anxiety, depression and anger.
SLIDE 17
WHAT WE CAN DO
Even those who work towards safeguarding the rights of rape victims may not be able to reason with their behaviors and attitudes. Understanding the trauma and the resulting ramifications may not be simple. It, therefore, is crucial that we try to reason with every decision and behavior of the victim and support and honor their life choices.
SLIDE 18
QUESTIONS
Here are a few questions that we all must ask ourselves. We need to be clear in our thoughts and beliefs. Only this way we can help the survivors of SA.
- What acts fall under sexual abuse according to the American culture
- What is your perception regarding the best treatment for survivors of sexual abuse?
- What steps should the Government take to stifle sexual abuse in our society?
SLIDE 19
QUESTIONS
- What measures should parents adopt to protect their children from sexual abuse?
- Do you favor the awareness regarding rape and sexual abuse at the school level?
References
Ahn, H. N., & Gilbert, N. (1992). Cultural Diversity and Sexual Abuse Prevention. Social Service Review, 66(3), 410-427.
Boulware, D. C. (n.d.). Carol Boulware, MFT, Ph.D.. Adult survivors of sexual abuse, PTSD, sexual assault. Retrieved October 13, 2014, from http://www.psychotherapist.net/adultsurvivors.html
California "Sexual Battery" Laws Explained | Penal Code 243.4 pc. (n.d.). California "Sexual Battery" Laws Explained | Penal Code 243.4 pc. Retrieved October 13, 2014, from http://www.shouselaw.com/sexual_battery.html
Cornell, W. F., & Olio, K. A. (1991). Integrating affect in treatment with adult survivors of physical and sexual abuse.. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 61(1), 59-69.
Current Litigation. (n.d.). Current Abuse Litigation. Retrieved October 13, 2014, from http://www.thesenatorsfirm.com/Current-Litigation.aspx
Gee, M. V., & Norton, S. M. (1999). The confluence of gender and culture: sexual harassment in the international arena. Management Decision, 37(5), 417-423.
Historical Sexual Abuse | falselyaccused.co.uk. (n.d.). falselyaccusedcouk. Retrieved October 13, 2014, from http://www.falselyaccused.co.uk/historical-sexual-abuse-cases/
Kilpatrick, D. G. (2007). Drug-facilitated, incapacitated, and forcible rape a national study. Charleston, SC: the Medical University of South Carolina, National Crime Victims Research & Treatment Center.
Laws in the United States. (2009, October 2). Laws in the United States. Retrieved October 13, 2014, from http://www.stopvaw.org/a6200a22-49cf-4680-a01b-e862d23ccfb6
New, J. (2014, July 1). U. of Connecticut to pay $1.3 million to settle sexual assault lawsuit @insidehighered. U. of Connecticut to pay $1.3 million to settle sexual assault lawsuit @insidehighered. Retrieved October 13, 2014, from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/07/21/u-connecticut-pay-13-million-settle-sexual-assault-lawsuit
Sexual Assault and Cultural Norms. (n.d.). Sexual Assault and Cultural Norms. Retrieved October 13, 2014, from http://www.stopvaw.org/sexual_assault_and_cultural_norms
Winslow, B. (2014, September 15). Martin MacNeill sentenced to prison in sex abuse case. fox13nowcom. Retrieved October 13, 2014, from http://fox13now.com/2014/09/15/martin-macneill-sentenced-to-prison-in-sex-abuse-case/
