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Most sexual offenses against children are committed by men or male adolescents whom they know. These may be fathers, grandfathers, uncles or cousins, but more often they are friends or acquaintances of the family, neighbors, or babysitters. Strangers are involved only in a minority of cases. Female offenders are comparatively rare. Many of the offenders had themselves been victims of such offenses when they were children. In many cases, the sexual contact is not an isolated incident, but continues for quite some time as the adult usually tries to establish an ongoing relationship.
As for the children, they may react to the sexual contact very differently, depending on the circumstances. Much depends on their own age at the time of the offense, the type of contact, and on the degree of closeness to the offender. If he is a close relative or some other trusted adult who violated this trust, they are more likely to sustain serious psychological damage. For example, they may develop a variety of behavioral problems, or suffer from a loss of self-esteem, anxiety attacks and depression. Some children may need pychological counseling or therapy for some time. Others do not seem to experience any lasting harm. Obviously, if the child was not traumatized by the offender, it should not be upset after the fact by the inappropriate reactions of other adults who “try to help”.Again, much depends on the specifics of the situation - how long the contact had gone on before it was discovered, whether force or violence had been involved, how the discovery is handled, and how supportive the family proves to be. A calm reaction of parents and siblings and their unconditional love can make an enormous, positive difference. It is also important that the children learn to understand that it was “not their fault”.
At any rate, one should remember that each case is unique in the specific combination of the factors involved. It therefore also requires a specific combination of responses from those who want to help an individual child.
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