Chuck Plunkett and Jeffrey A. Roberts recently wrote an article about the sexual assault of children:
…the most likely victims of sexual abuse — by far — remain young children.
A review of about 55,000 reported cases of rape and sex assault in 2004 shows that about 67 percent of all sex victims are 17 and younger, and 30 percent are 11 and younger.
What makes the data more troubling, experts say, is that there is no simple fix to the problem of childhood sex abuse.
“Most people don’t know about these statistics,” said Victoria Strong, who directs Colorado’s Front Range Center for Assault Prevention, which provides sex-abuse prevention education to schools.
“I don’t think most of the school districts pay attention to it as much as they need to,” Strong said. “Until something happens.”
Strong and other experts say that while it is common for adults to warn children about the very rare danger of stranger abduction, studies have shown that most perpetrators are trusted relatives, friends, teachers, coaches and clergy. Older siblings or cousins also can be abusers.
And experts say even the best prevention education for young children isn’t enough.
“You cannot expect children to protect themselves,” said Mary Wyman, a counselor with Lost and Found in Wheat Ridge, Colo., which works with victims and perpetrators of sex assault.
“Children are so programmed to submit to authority,” Wyman said. And those who prey on children are skilled at what they do, she said, adding, “I’ve never met a sex offender I didn’t like.”
Read entire article by Chuck Plunkett and Jeffrey A. Roberts.
Unfortunately, the overcrowded, underfunded, and inefficient incarceration system in the United States releases non-rehabilitated convicted sex offenders, many of which continue to victimize people. Once convicted, I say do not let these victimizers out of jail until, if ever, they have been rehabilitated.
Non-violent drug “offenders” make up over 25% of the United States inmate population. Instead of wasting resources on victimless crimes, why not use the space and resources to jail and, where possible, rehabilitate victimizers such as child sex-predators?! Further, instead of wasting resources chasing down non-violent people for victimless crimes, why not put the resources towards protecting children from sexual victimization?!
What do you think?
