The Backseat Driver : A Journey Of Sexual Abuse

An American essayist, H.L. Mencken stated, “The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants be safe”. I disagree with this statement because an “average man” wants to live. In order to live you must have two necessities; freedom and safety. I believe neither is more important than one another because being free gives you the opportunity to a safe nation, and a safe nation allows you to be free. You cannot live a life without exploring and growing because that would not be considered living. On the other hand, you cannot expect to be free without safety around you.

As one can see, personal freedom is an incredibly important part to our modern day society.

Victims of sexual assault suffer from a wide variety of mental and emotional issues throughout their lives as a result of the experience. Results can range from depression, anger, feelings of loneliness, and difficulty when trying to formulate relationships of trust (Hyde 45). Victims experience a wide variety of psychological issues as a result of sexual crimes, which they will have to carry with them throughout their entire lives. Also, “Psychological problems can start later in life with changes in behavior- vague fears, feeling unprotected and helpless, nightmares, bedwetting, sleeping problems, fear to loss parents approval/love, need to please others, poor self esteem, anger, depression, withdrawal from activities, daydreaming, difficulty concentrating, behavior problems” (Hyde 47).

Being sexually abused is a very traumatizing experience, and this form of victimization at a young age only amplifies the situation. The mortifying nature of child sexual abuse often brings along with it changes in the victim's life. Some of the numerous short term effects (problems that impact them while they are still at a young

The opportunity of freedom is a base for your life. It puts you in a position and gives you the time to look at yourself, to look at the world and to decide what you will do with your life. Everyone will look at life with a different approach. See life through different glasses. We all have our own approach to life and no matter what handicaps of scientifical fixes people try to do we can never be totally and fully equal to one another. All our differences put together form a community, a city and our

Surviving abuse had taught me how to live without choices. I had become accustom to doing what I was told. I was used to not having any options and to doing what simply had to be done. Even after I had left that relationship, I still felt as though there were no options. My counselor gave me back the power of choice. She helped me to look at the decisions that I made every day and to find the choices. Those small choices led to bigger choices. She helped me to see that I had choices, and then she believed in me as I made my own decisions. She believed in me until I believed in

“Shackled and abandoned”, reported by Anne Kingston, recorded the trail treatments to a series of sexual assault victims, and analyzed the essential reasons. In Edmonton, as a victim of a sexual assault, 16 years old “Angela Cardinal”, a dubbed name under the name of protecting the victim, was shacked and jailed in the same cellblock as the man raping her. Although her prosecutor Patricia Innes concerned about her physical and mental state, she didn’t suggest hospitalization but leaving her stay in the cell with a desperate emotion of “embarrassed, vulnerable, violated and alone”. In another example of comparing the two trials in Duing Ghomeshi and Cosby, it clear showed that a part-time job and cater-waiter identity could be the reason

To inform my audience about the intense emotional secrecy resulting from childhood sexual abuse, and to persuade them that as teachers of God’s word they should be prepared to expect the unexpected while providing non-judgmental support and guidance to the victims working through issues of trust, intimacy and identity while seeking a personal relationship with Christ.

Sexual Abuse is an uncomfortable topic that has been both a reality and a topic of research for over forty years. Despite this (or perhaps because of it) practitioners may make assumptions for treatment based on norms. To properly treat an individual with a history of childhood sexual abuse, a clinician must consider a variety of factors, including the client’s perceptions about the event, their feelings about having reported it (if they did), under what circumstances the abuse occurred, and the client’s feelings towards the perpetrator.

I. Attention getter: Do you know a friend or family member who has been sexually abused? Or maybe you have experienced sexual abuse yourself? Are you aware of the psychological and developmental effects it can have on you or someone you may know? Chances are, you don’t—while sexual abuse is common, may people do not speak up, and the problem goes unrecognized.

Child sexual abuse has been reported up to 80,000 times a year, but the number of unreported instances is far greater, because the children are afraid to tell anyone what has happened (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry). Childhood sexual abuse is a traumatic experience affecting the lives of not only the victim, but those close to the victim as well. Many think there is only one person truly traumatized, but in fact, everyone involved is affected. The victim has to deal with their experience the rest of their lives. They may be more at risk for other mental issues as well, including depression. The family involved has to deal with its pain, often causing hardship and discord within the family. This is especially true

Imagine being robbed of your innocence in a matter of seconds. Imagine not being able to speak out due to threats and fear of seeking help and not being taken seriously. Troubling, is it not? Sexual abuse has always been a problem in society that can affect anyone. Sexual abuse brings along many negative outcomes; however, throughout the years, sexual abuse has been a factor that has always been ignored. Even though sexual abuse has had many attempts to be avoided in various environments, all have failed.

Childhood sexual abuse is a worldwide concern in today's time. This type of abuse rarely results in death, but is consequences can be serious and carry on into adulthood. Childhood sexual abuse has not been strongly related to higher levels of depression , guilt, self blame, eating sickness, fear, stress, dissociative patterns, denial, sexual and relationship problems.

Merryn, Erin. Stolen innocence: Triumphing Over a Childhood Broken By Abuse: a Memoir. Deerfield Beacch: Health Communications, 2004. Print.

Sexual abuse and harassment in the United States is becoming more of a serious issue than it was once before. People of all races, genders, and ages are targeted. Men, women, children, infants, and the elderly that walk amongst all of us could possibly be a victim, but we may never know. Recently, it has become more common that people feel as though they should stay silent or that they don’t have a voice. But they do, and so as a nation we need to come together and raise awareness to help the people who feel they cannot help themselves.