Obviously, the first thing that must be done is to get the abuser to realize that they have caused the child pain. Many offenders maintain and deny that they did anything wrong or caused the victim any harm. Once their is the realization that they have caused pain to the child, then the offender must be taught to take responsibility for their actions. The sexual abuse of a family member is difficult to accept. When the abuser is also a part of the family, it threatens to tear the family apart.
Loyalty is divided between the abuser and the victim.
This kind of turmoil only adds to the victim's suffering. Some parents and families actually accuse the victim of lying about the abuse. Those families that do believe the victim may encourage or pressure the child not to report the abuse to the police. Some parents would rather avoid a scandal and deal with the problem within the family. They may feel that keeping the child away from the offender is enough this response will also be harmful to the victim.