4 Troubled Teens Blog

The media is awash in stories about alleged sexual abuse by clergymen. Victims continue to come forward from communities around the world. However, in a March 27 article in The Oregonian, columnist Susan Nielsen notes that this may be just the tip of the iceberg:

At least one in five girls and one in 10 boys experiences unwanted sexual touching or other sex abuse, based on federal data and research cited by the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Most of the bad actors in these cases are not priests or pastors. They are stepfathers, family friends, fathers and neighbors.

The majority are never held accountable.

"I think of that as the hidden iceberg," says legal scholar Marci Hamilton, a national authority on child abuse at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and the author of Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect Its Children. ...

Traditionally, about 90 percent of victims dont speak out, and the reasons are as messy and common as the crimes themselves. It can take decades for victims to shake off enough of the shame to stop feeling responsible.

"Denial and survival play a huge part in the reason why victims of abuse 'wait' to come forward," or never say a word, says Kristi Kernal of Beaverton, a co-founder and board member of OAASIS, Oregon Abuse Advocates and Survivors in Service.

Labels: child_abuse, trauma, sexual abuse, children

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Tomorrow (Saturday, July 4), seven-time winner Lance Armstrong will make a much ballyhooed return to the Tour de France when the race's prologue begins in Monaco.

About a month later, another U.S. cycling legend will hop back onto his bike for a ride that may not garner as many headlines, but which may increase awareness and assistance for a pervasive problem in American society: the sexual abuse of boys.

On Aug. 8 in southern California, Greg Lemond (who twice topped the Tour podium) will lead "Le Tour de Montecito," a fundraising ride for 1in6, an organization that is dedicated to helping men who endured unwanted or abusive sexual experiences in childhood.

The following is from the organization's website:

Researchers estimate that 1 in 6 men have experienced unwanted or abusive sexual experiences before age 16. This is likely a low estimate, since it doesn't include noncontact experiences, which can also have lasting negative effects.

If you've had such an experience, or think you might have, you are not alone.
If you wonder whether such an experience may be connected to some difficulties or challenges in your life now, you are not alone. ...

Our mission also includes serving girlfriends, wives, partners, family members and friends by providing information and support resources on the web.

"I know first-hand how the pain and shame of having been abused as a child can affect one's life," LeMond wrote in a welcome letter on the 1in6 website. "In looking back over my own life, I can tell you that no joy has been greater than being with my wife and children without the 'dark cloud' of shame and guilt that my childhood abuse caused me."

Sexual abuse survivors often endure long-lasting emotional trauma, which without treatment can have effects that range from disruptive to devastating.

Labels: trauma, sexual abuse

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Teenage sex offenders have the same level of social competence as non-offenders, according to a new study from the University of Lethbridge in Canada.

• Professor Martin LaLumiere and his colleagues analyzed 59 previous studies of more than 3,800 male sex offenders, comparing them with non-offenders in the same age group, 12 to 18 years old.
• Sex offenders tended to have been sexually abused as children and to have atypical sexual interests, and they were more likely to feel socially isolated.
• However, the teens sex offenders had about the same degree of social skills and the same number of family problems as non-offenders.
• Dr. LaLumiere said that although social skills training is often included in their rehabilitation, it is probably unnecessary.
• The researchers concluded that prevention of childhood sexual abuse might be a better strategy toward reducing sex crimes among young people.

The study appeared in the journal Psychological Bulletin.
 

Labels: sexual abuse, abuse

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