In the struggle against child abuse and neglect, sexual abuse involves the most complex issues, the most highly charged emotions and, perhaps, the ugliest aftermath for its survivors. To begin with, the victim usually knows the offender. That's not all family. It's maybe church-member friends, baby sitters, family friends, a neighbor or somebody who was involved in the child's life in some way. The betrayal of body and trust cuts so deeply that the scars left behind may last a lifetime.
Every victim tends to take in what happened in different ways in surviving and coping with it.
You'll see runaway behavior, alcohol and drug abuse, inability to establish healthy relationships, depression, mental health issues and disassociative disorders. Unlike physical abuse, which often is connected to stress created by economic pressures and social isolation, sexual abuse is an equal-opportunity offense. We might see a little bit more in the lower economic groups, but at any one time we have people from Worthington, Dublin, Upper Arlington, Grandview and Whitehall. We've got them from every place, and that goes for the offenders, too. I can guarantee you 100 percent will raise their hands.