Child Sexual Abuse Report Example

Introduction

The definition for child sexual abuse is very broad making it difficult for people to understand the definition of the problem. However it can be defined as any appropriate acts or touching done to a child. When sexual behaviors are committed by an adult to a child than this is always considered sexual abuse. Children can also be guilty of sexually abusing other children especially if the difference between the two children’s ages is more than three years. In many cases sexual abuse will not be any physical contact between the victim and offender and may be strictly exposure to the child of sexual behaviors. The best way to explain this is if there is any looking, exposing or physical contact which sexually gratifies the adult then this behavior is considered sexual abuse. An additional contributor to this abuse is any handling of pornography pertaining to children which includes selling, making or watching it. It is important to know the signs or behaviors to watch for to prevent this type of abuse before it does harm to a child. In many cases this abuse is not something that just happens out of the blue and immediately. It can often be something that is happening slowly over time. It is up to parents and caregivers to be able to recognize any of the signs of this abuse as often children are unable to protect themselves (paths, 2015). Child sexual abuse requires a significant amount of study because it is important to know who is at risk specifically and how this type of abuse can be prevented. For instance one study in the UK contended that the odds of being sexually abused as a child were imbalanced with 1 in every 5 boys and 1 out of 2 girls that had been sexually abused in some form before they reached adult hood. Other studies conducted on the topic in more depth all turned out to have similar results with girls having higher odds of experiencing this abuse than boys. This was consistent with studies on the subject both in and outside of the United States suggesting there is a higher likelihood for a girl to be a victim of this abuse than a boy (May-Chahal, 2006).
One case study highlights a multitude of theories showing child sexual abuse from many different perspectives. The study found that the media plays a huge role in how the public sees this type of abuse playing strongly on their sympathies for a bigger reaction. In many cases the media highlights cases involving women as many associate women as the victim because they are seen as weaker than men and this is where gendering plays a huge role and creates issues. Men are not often given much notice when they are the victims of sexual abuse because they are portrayed as dominant protectors. One of the many cases mentioned in this case study was the case of Lee Dugard who was kidnapped at age 11 and held for 18 years by a man even baring two of his children during this time (Davies, 2010).
Lena Dunham is a writer who wrote a book detailing the sexual abuse she as a child inflicted on her younger sister (Bradford, 2014). The media finds her actions and the book disturbing and many views of liberal feminists. A liberal feminism is one approach to gain an equal standing with men for women (Wolf, 2014). Much of the media has focused on Lena’s admissions highlighting that she should be charged with sexual abuse and treated the same way any man would be who wrote a book admitting to such terrible crimes. Many people described as white and richer stood up for Lena saying that everyone attacking her was just trying to take a liberal feminist down. However others felt strongly about her blatant disregard for what she did being morally unacceptable not to mention illegal and felt that her being upper-class and a white liberal was an excuse helping her escape crimes(Brownworth, 2014).
Radical feminist would wage the war that they should be treated equal to men so in this situation they would feel Lena should be charged with the same crimes a man would be if he wrote a book about sexually assaulting his younger sibling. This is because these women focus mainly on how men and women are not treated equal because women are viewed as weaker (Lewis, 2015). One thing is certain and that is in this case many of the feminists radical, color, and liberal are aggressively opposing Lena’s book and think it is an outrage as well as “vial” (Hamad, 2014) .

Conclusion

Child sexual abuse is a topic that is difficult to define or describe because of the fact that children are so fragile and small as well as in need of protection. To think of someone harming a child in any way is difficult to deal with and sexual abuse is one of the most heinous acts of harm a person can inflict on a child. It is important for parents to have the right tools when it comes to understanding this abuse so they can recognize any signs of it and prevent or put a stop to it as it causes long-term and extensive damage to the child. In many cases the victims of crimes like rape and sexual assault that are reported are females and this makes the topic open to much feminist discussion. In the case of Lena Dunham there is a lot of controversy and to be frank it is needed because this case really highlights the fact that not only do women experience this type of abuse but perhaps they also get away with it more often than men when they are the perpetrator not the victim. Lena described her actions as curious and weird however not sexual abuse. The problem is if this was a man that wrote the book about his experiences preying on another child many feminists feel that there would be a different outcome than a bestselling novel and most agree that this woman is a predator who is getting away with molesting her younger sister.

References

Bradford, T. (2014). Lena Dunham Describes Sexually Abusing Her Little Sister. [online] Truth Revolt. Available at: http://www.truthrevolt.org/news/lena-dunham-describes-sexually-abusing-her-toddler-sister [Accessed 8 Apr. 2015].
Brownworth, V. (2014). Lena Dunham and White Liberal Feminism. [online] Curvemag.com. Available at: http://www.curvemag.com/News/Lena-Dunham-and-White-Liberal-Feminism-245/ [Accessed 8 Apr. 2015].
Davies, P. (2010). Gender Crime and Victimization. Sage, pp.44-57, 70.
Hamad, R. (2014). The issue with Lena Dunham's defenders. [online] ABC News. Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-05/hamad-the-issue-with-lena-dunhams-defenders/5867882 [Accessed 8 Apr. 2015].
Lewis, J. (2015). What Is Radical Feminism?. [online] About.com Education. Available at: http://womenshistory.about.com/od/feminism/g/radicalfeminism.htm [Accessed 8 Apr. 2015].
May-Chahal, C. (2006). Gender and Child Maltreatment: The Evidence Base. Social Work & Society, [online] 4(1), pp.53-68. Available at: http://www.socwork.net/sws/article/view/176/567 [Accessed 8 Apr. 2015].
paths, s. (2015). Defining Child Sexual Abuse | Stop It Now. [online] Stopitnow.org. Available at: http://www.stopitnow.org/ohc-content/defining-child-sexual-abuse [Accessed 8 Apr. 2015].
Wolf, N. (2014). ‘Liberal’ Feminism. [online] Socialist Alternative. Available at: http://www.socialistalternative.org/it-doesnt-have-to-be-like-this/liberal-feminism/ [Accessed 8 Apr. 2015].