By ROBYN H. JIMENEZ
The Dallas Examiner

FACT: There are as many as 80,000 cases of child molestation reported every year, and many more that go unreported, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The organization states that the cases may go unreported because the child may fear the perpetrator, or the consequences of reporting the abuse. The child may also feel ashamed, guilty, embarrassed, dirty and as if something is “wrong” with him or her. Some children feel a sense of loyalty toward the abuser, especially if the person is a relative, authority figure or a close family friend.

In a 1991 Sorensen and Snow study, researchers reviewed 630 cases of children that had allegedly been sexually abused from 1985 through 1989. One hundred sixteen of them had been confirmed. Seventy-nine percent of the children in the study had initially denied any.
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Surviving the shadows of incest
One woman’s battle to overcome child abuse, drugs and mental illness

By ROBYN H. JIMENEZ
The Dallas Examiner

Fact: Child abuse is a national epidemic. And though neglect and physical abuse can be devastating, molestation - in many cases - may be more traumatic. One reason is that the incident includes touching a part or parts of the body that are considered to be private. And even children as young as 2-years-old instinctively know when certain touches are inappropriate or “feel wrong.” Another reason is the shame that follows the child, that hinders the victim from receiving the proper counseling that is necessary to overcome this trauma.

Children who experience sexual molestation may experience depression, anxiety, eating disorders, unexplainable physical pain, sleep disorders and many other symptoms that may lead to lowered school performance, acting out sexually or aggressively, withdrawing from friends, family and activities, nigh.
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