We all know that to abuse anyone is wrong, but to sexually abuse someone is even worse. It is not only stealing their innocence. It steals there sense of security, ability to feel loved, and other long term side affects. Ultimately it can affect their perspective on God. It does not only violate their body. It violates the way they think, function, and cope. God was so thorough on His views that it is only talked about in the old testament. There was no reason to bring it back up in the new testament.
Sexual abuse causes a life long struggle in people. The younger the person is the harder it is to fully recover. Sexual abuse makes a person a victim to the perversions of other people. It can cause feelings of shame, depression, loss of virtue, anger, rage, guilt, and more. All these feelings can swirl within them at the same time which needs an outlet.
If the feelings are not dealt with in a healthy manner, then it can lead to extreme behaviors like promiscuity or being a prude. It can lead to a pattern of unforgiveness and victimization mentality. They will seek control in whatever manner they can have it: eating, relationships, physical fitness, work, and more. If they can't feel safe then they may seek medication or self-harm. In some cases people try suicide to have the final control over what happens to them and to escape the mental prison that they never escaped from.
All of the unhealthy coping mechanisms can lead to multi-layers of health issues. Some can be STDs, PTS, eating disorders, sleeping disorders, and more. This is true for both sexes. We need to do what we can for a person we know that has been sexually abused. The fact is that you probably do know someone who has been raped or molested at some point in their life.
Abusers have a pattern of behavior, but most people just don't see it. The fact that they will do this proves that they are weak, have low self-esteem, or are just perversely sick. The fact is if someone sexually abuses a child and gets arrested, then they are more likely to be killed in prison. No matter what kind of sexual abuse, they will have to live with a stigma for the rest of their lives.
Sexual abusers are selfish. They don't think about how it hurts their family too. How their own families tent to be disassociated by society after the truth comes out. Abusers live in denial. They truly think they will get away with it or that no one is getting hurt.
Characteristics of an abuser is that they tend to blame others for why they are the way they are. They do not take personal responsibility. They are manipulative. They rather kill themselves than to admit they were wrong. Many abusers are addicted to sex and power. It can make them feel powerful to take the power from someone else. This can reveal that they may had been sexually abused in their life too.
If they do take responsibility for that they did, they may feel shame. However, is it shame over what they did or being caught? The may feel rejected. This is true for both sexes.
The loved ones of sexually abused victims struggle with mistrust. They may fear intimacy and stds. They may struggle with anger and blame toward the victim, themselves, and God. Of course they are angry at the abuser. Some family and friends of a victim will go to dark places themselves while they try to cope with the new reality. It can lead to feelings of helplessness, insecurity, and fear.
A child that has been sexually abused does not have coping skills. They do not know how to process what happened to them in a healthy or unhealthy manner. It just changes them forever. They may struggle with feelings of being unwanted or rejected. As they get older they may struggle with self-esteem. They may struggle with thinking and dealing with their past without having hatred in their heart.
A child that had been sexually abused could isolate themselves. That is never good because then they may never talk about what happened to them. They may struggle with abandonment issues, discrimination, and suicidal thoughts. They may turn to drugs and alcohol to cope. If it was a family member that did that to them, then it could affect their ability to trust.
Exodus 22:22-24, Deuteronomy 2: 22-29, 2 Samuel 13:14-21, & Psalm 82
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