socw 6301 assignment

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Tenea Lewis

SOCW 6301

Library Searching II

September 20,2021

Sexual abuse, a term that some people describe as molestation, describes malicious sexual activity subjected to victims who are unable to agree to sexual activity to offenders who use force, threaten, or exploit them. The most vulnerable populations are children and adolescents, and their care should be based on this fact. Because of this susceptibility, adolescent pregnancy poses dangers to biological, psychological, and social development as a result of early sexual start, which is why children and adolescents aged 10 to 14 years are increasingly represented in these pregnancies. In this transition period between childhood and adulthood, biological and psychological immaturity makes these hazards more likely to occur. But why do children end up being sexually assaulted regardless of the society, governments, and families being on high alert of this vulnerability? Governments have put in place laws to deal with sex offenders because they affect victims and society. However, the question remains do the victims report these cases?

According to an article by Banvard-Fox et al. (2020) on sexual assaults in teenagers is that it’s challenging to get exact numbers on the occurrence of Sexual abuse since many victims don’t come forward until they’ve reached adulthood, and many cases go unreported. Approximately 40 to 60 percent of all rape victims mostly are under the age of 18, with most of them being teenagers. On average, the first-time sexual assault happened to kids, two-thirds of them were between the age of 12 and 17. Females between the ages of 16 and 19 are four times as likely to be sexually attacked than females of any other age group. Unwanted sexual contact was reported by 8 percent of the 11,018 participants in Emerson Hospital’s 2018 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

On the other hand, the proportion for females was more significant (11%) than for males (3 percent). Students who were abused more than 12 months before the survey, 3 percent within the previous 12 months, and 1 percent both before and within the past 12 months were included in this study. What is more shocking is that all these cases have never been reported to the police. What makes the victims fail to report the offense?

An article by the Dordulian law society (2020) articulates that some victims freeze and are afraid to call the police when abused. The situation makes it possible for victims to feel scared of physical violence from an ex-partner. For example, the victim has a great feeling that the law officials will not take any lawful action against the offender, thus subjecting the victims to severe consequences as being shamed to friends. As a result, many survivors decide to wait or procrastinate in reporting their abuse because they need time to analyse their thoughts after an assault. It’s possible that as time goes on, they’ll become more reluctant to speak about it. The victims may eventually intend to move on and not disclose the abuse to authorities. However, fear of physical violence and others should not be the reasons for the offense go unreported. A victim can reap more benefits on disclosure of the offense to the law officials, but how?

According to the NCTSN article on disclosure of sexual abuse on teens explains that in addition to preserving forensic proof of the attack, a prompt medical evaluation allows teenagers to identify, prevent or intervene in sexually transmitted infections or pregnancy at an early stage. Psychological repercussions of sexual assault include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and drug abuse, as well as other issues such as a negative impact on school performance or family and peer connections. As a result, evidence-based therapies are accessible to benefit teenagers get better as well as avoid these harmful consequences in the long term. If the offense is not known, the treatment cannot be made available. Some teenagers and their families desire to seek legal remedies. Disclosure of the offence can be reported to law officials at any given time; however, laws of limitations limit the period in which lawful alternatives can be pursued after the disclosure has occurred. In addition, Okunlola et al. (2020) article on sexual abuse results among adolescents on self-esteem indicates that even though it affects teenagers’ psychosocial well-being on a worldwide scale, sexual abuse continues to be an issue everywhere. Sex abuse and self-esteem among teenagers had an adverse connection.

In conclusion, teenagers and children are the most vulnerable, and it’s challenging to get exact numbers on the occurrence of Sexual abuse since many victims don’t come forward until they’ve reached adulthood, and many cases go unreported. Some victims freeze after they have been sexually abused and are afraid to call the police. Prompt medical evaluation allows teenagers to identify, prevent or intervene in sexually transmitted infections.

References

Banvard-Fox, C., Linger, M., Paulson, D. J., Cottrell, L., & Davidov, D. M. (2020). Sexual Assault in Adolescents. Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice, 47(2), 331–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pop.2020.02.010

Okunlola, O. B., Odukoya, J. A., & Gesinde, A. M. (2020). Outcomes of sexual abuse on self-esteem among adolescents: A systematic review. Cogent Social Sciences, 7(1), 1856296. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2020.1856296

Silva, A. J. C. D., Trindade, R. F. C. D., & Oliveira, L. L. F. D. (2020). Presumption of sexual abuse in children and adolescents: vulnerability of pregnancy before 14 years. Revista brasileira de enfermagem, 73.

Top 10 Reasons People Do Not Report Sexual Abuse. (2020, September 22). Dordulian Law Group. https://www.dlawgroup.com/reasons-people-do-not-report-sexual-abuse/

Why Don’t They Tell? Teens and Sexual Assault Disclosure Why Don’t They Tell? Teens and Sexual Assault Disclosure 1 Teen Sexual Assault. (n.d.). https://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/resources/fact-sheet/why_dont_they_tell_teens_and_sexual_assault_disclosure.pdf