THE ABUSED CHILD...

Children who are victims of sexual abuse suffer badly not necessarily in their childhood but more when they grow up. That is because children are usually not aware of things happening to them in their childhood (Miller, 1997). Though, it sometimes differs from one person to another depending for example on the age of the victim when he/she was abused (Newton, 2001). The second thing that affects the victim’s life is the relationship of the victim to the abuser (Newton, 2001). For example, it would seriously hurt the abused child to live with the abuser at the same house and it would also be difficult in this case for him/her to move on with her/his life and forget the past. Another thing is the frequency and extent of the abuse and the use of force. These things affect the child’s personality and life in a very bad way. In point of fact, the response of the victim’s family likewise affects the child’s personality and future (Newton, 2001).

Indeed, most important in a child’s life is respect, sympathy and understanding. Without these the child might experience certain feelings of his own, such as jealousy, envy, anger, anxiety, loneliness or helplessness; either in childhood or adulthood (Miller, 1997). A study has shown that children who did not have enough tenderness, understanding and respect suffer more often than not, quietly without crying, and they fail to experience feelings too (Miller, 1997). There are many other things that the child might go through such as: health matters and psychiatric issues (Newton, 2001). These problems can be addressed by dealing with communication problems and gender related problems.