Child Molestation: What Every Parent Fears
Today, sexual abuse of children has become the subject of great concern in all communities across the nation, inciting many legislative initiatives aimed at punishing those who abuse children.
Child molestation and child sexual abuse cover a broad range of devious acts against a child.
They can include fondling, sexual intercourse with a child, forcing a child to touch an adult's sexual organs, or even non-touching offenses such as forcing a child to look at or watch pornographic material, or taking nude photographs of a child.
All of which, can cause serious physical, emotional and psychological disturbances in the child that can span over a lifetime.
Often times children who have been sexually abused or molested suffer in silence.
They frequently refrain from telling an adult out of fear nobody will believe them, or out of a feeling of shame.
Victims of child molestation frequently experience appetite disturbances, suicidal gestures, depression, anxiety, nightmares, and loss of self esteem, feelings of guilt and other self-abusive behaviors.
Child molestation can also lead to significant troubles in their adult relationships, making it difficult to trust other people and be in a healthy, loving relationship.
Today, there are approximately 39 million adults who have survived sexual abuse.
If a child comes to you wanting to tell you what happened, it's important to listen to them.
In the majority of cases, the abuser was a stepparent, a family member, a neighbor, a teacher, a camp counselor, a boy scout leader, a coach, a member of their church or someone else who gained the child's trust.
Regardless of who victimized your son or daughter, it's critical to put an end to the abuse before anymore children are harmed by the abuser.
In order to do this, it will become necessary to take legal action against the abuser.
Legal action will be a vital tool in obtaining compensation for your child's medical expenses, or psychological treatment such as therapy or counseling.
In most cases, the survivors of child molestation will need special care in order to help them recover emotionally and psychologically from child sexual abuse.
A Houston personal injury attorney can help you find justice in a child molestation case.
They can make the legally responsible party compensate your child for any economic or non-economic damages that have incurred from the abuse, and a lawsuit can bring public attention to the case and thereby serve to further remove the abuser from other children in their environment.
As a result, the abuser can be forced to take responsibility for their actions, and other children can be protected from future harm.