In Jackson, MS and the nation, the statistics involving child abuse are appalling. Last year, almost 10% of substantial child abuse and neglect cases involved sexual abuse- in other words, almost 100,000 children were sexually abused. Sexual abuse can involve a variety of things from touching or fondling, to sexual penetration to showing a child pornographic material to soliciting a child for prostitution or to film, photograph or model for pornographic purposes. Essentially, child abuse is when an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. In other words, child sexual abuse is when a child is subject to sexual activity that he or she can't comprehend or give informed consent.
People of almost all professions have sexually abused a child- a pediatrician, psychologist, priest, rabbi, teacher, coach, boy scout leader, apartment manager, daycare employee, baby sitter, older friend, cousin or brother, uncle, grandparent, father, neighbor, etc. Sexual abusers aren’t only pedophiles and they aren’t only men. Recent studies have shown that women too can be sexual predators- whether that be against their students, in conjunction with a male or individuals who were sexually abused as children and abuse others as an adult.
Most children are sexually abused by people they know, and never reveal it to anybody. That raises the question, how do you know if your child is being sexually abused? Any of the following symptoms could indicate that a person is being sexually abused:
- Fear or crying
- Feeding problems
- vomitting
- Bowel problems
- Nightmares
- Bed wetting
- Stranger anxiety
- Bullying
- Aggression
- Feelings of guilt
- Withdrawal from family
- Depression
- Suicide attempts
- Poor school performance
- Promiscuity
- Substance abuse
- Running away from home
- Contraction of an std
- Child becomes pregnant
Disclosure by the victim
After your kid has received the medical and emotional help he or she needs, you can hold an abuser financially responsible for the harm they caused. Frequently, other parties, besides the abuser, can be held liable too. If a Jackson, MS daycare or MS school does not properly screen its employees, it should be held responsible too for the abuse that occurred. Schools and other public facilities in Jackson, MS that are responsible for the education and care of children are called to a higher degree of safety and accountability.
A danger in a case of child sexual abuse, is waiting too long to step forward. Because the statute of limitations for sexual abuse in Jackson, MS is short, it is crucial that a lawsuit be filed as soon as a child sexual abuse case has been discovered. After a child has been sexually abused in Jackson, MS, he or she is more succeptible to alcoholism, drug addiction, sexual dysfunction, sexual addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and suicide.
When someone’s criminal acts adversely affect the welfare of your family, you should aggressively seek to collect damages. Damages could help pay for medical treatment and psychological treatment and help the victim recover both physically and mentally and emotionally. Child sexual abuse is a serious problem and abusers and parties that allow abusers to get away with their crime should be held responsible. Sex crimes against children typically fall into 3 categories:
- Sexual exploitation
- Non-touching sexual offenses
- Touching sexual offenses
In Jackson, MS sexual exploitation of children can include engaging a child in prostitution, or soliciting a child for the purposes of prostitution. Other methods of sexual exploitation include using a child to model pornography, whether it is live, or to be filmed, or photographed. Non-touching sexual offenses are actions of sexual abuse that do not involve contact with the victim. Examples of these offenses are engaging in indecent exposure, exposing a child to any pornographic material, visual or audible, deliberately exposing a child to the acts of sexual intercourse and/or exposing a child to the act of masturbation. Touching sexual offenses are, for the most part, self-explanatory. These kinds of offenses include any form of physical sexual contact between an adult and a child.
Although the obvious physical effects of sexual abuse are horrific and in some cases deadly, the psychological and mental effects are detrimental and can be very long lasting, even crippling. Because of the trauma induced by this kind of abuse, there are several ways that a person can be psychologically harmed. These effects include anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and can range to substance abuse, animal cruelty, and even suicide. These are just a few examples, and the severity of any psychological harm, statistically, is increased if the sexual abuser is a relative.
The psychological disorders grow and change as the victim becomes older, the effects of abuse extend far beyond childhood. Abusing a child sexually robs them of their childhood, therefore creating a lack of trust, some feelings of guilt, and even self-abusive behavior. One of the most common effects of child abuse is promiscuity in later years, and sexualized behavior. These are not inherent attributes in a child and can be used as clues to indicate the sexual abuse of the child.
In Jackson, MS, or anywhere for that matter, a child’s innocence is precious, and must be protected. Unfortunately this does not always happen, and child sexual abuse does happen very frequently in Jackson, MS. Anyone in MS who violates a child sexually must be punished for their crimes. While there is no amount of money that can buy back a child’s innocence or trust, there is still the monetary compensation that can, and should be obtained for damages incurred
February 2, 2021