Page 6 - Kingdom News Edition 8.pdf

n Matthew 11:28 it says, times more likely to be abused It is estimated that the average cost
“Come unto me, all ye that then males. associated with child abuse is
labour and are heavy laden, • A history of child sexual abuse $210,012 for a lifetime of a per-
I I will give you rest.” increases the chance of drop- son. Many times, these costs are
and
Trauma will cause us to carry a ping out of school, making paid by the taxpayers through the
heaviness possibly because we are them more susceptible to aca- criminal judicial system, child
unable to properly comprehend and demic problems, teen pregnan- welfare systems, special education
express feelings and emotions that cy, and abnormal sexual be- systems, etc.
have built up because of this trau- haviors.
ma. • Only 4-8% if child sexual As we began this article, we spoke
abuse reports are fabricated. about carrying the heaviness of
As we progress with our series on these traumatic experiences which
Dispelling Darkness, we are pre- These are just a few of the aston- will cause consequences in the
paring to bring light to the dark- ishing statistics displayed on the lives of the victims. Many may
ness centered around sexual abuse website (www.d2l.org). The im- experience emotional and mental
and its effects on the victim as well pact of sexual abuse affects us all health problems that can cause ex-
as the possible mindset of the per- in three different areas: economi- treme behavioral issues such as
petrator. We will also discuss how cally, socially, and in our health. anxiety, depression and suicidal
these events will direct the paths of
our lives.

Darkness to Light, an organization
dedicated to end child sexual
abuse, shares the following statis-
tics on its website:

• One in 10 children will be sex-
ually abused before age 18.
• 90% of child sexual abuse vic-
tims know their abuser.
• One in 7 incidents of child sex-
ual abuse perpetrated by juve-
niles occurs on schooldays.
• Of children who are sexually
abused, 20% are abused before
the age of 8 – gender is also a
major factor, females are five