Fighting Back: Childhood Sexual Assault (Part 2 of 2)

ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Sexual abuse is one of the worst crimes imaginable, yet it will happen to 500,000 children this year. Do you really know what's going on at your friend's house? At your neighbor's house? How about in your own home? Sometimes this unimaginable crime can occur in the most unexpected places with the most unexpected people.

One in five girls will be molested this year, and 90 percent of them will know their abuser. Anne, an abuse survivor whose real name is not being used, says: "A few years ago, I found out my suspicions were true. It did happen straight from the hospital as an infant." Twenty years after the fact, Anne still lives in fear. She doesn't want to reveal her identity; worried her father will find her again.

It's at the beach Anne feels most at peace. There she deals with the fact her own father raped her, her sister and her cousin. It wasn't until recently that Anne remembered what happened. She says, "To this day, his eyes give me chills." But now she knows she was a victim of sexual abuse even though her own mother knew what was happening. "She claims she gave us the best tools she knew how, which were telling us not to sit on his lap or hug him. But she sent us anyway," Ann remembers.

Nancy McBride, director of National Safety at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Alexandria, Va., agrees not all sexual abuse comes at the hands of strangers. She says, "If all you're doing is talking to your child about stranger dangers, you've really eliminated all kinds of possible help if your child is in trouble."

Melissa Coral, an abuse survivor who now works with kids, says, "I think part of the experience I went through makes me treasure childhood a lot." Coral hopes none of them will ever experience what she did. She was abused as a child by a child. "It was a friend. She was about four to five years older, so it was somebody that was close to me."

Coral blocked out the trauma for more than a decade. Coral says, "I felt that somebody just pushed the fast-forward button and just threw me into knowing too much about the human experience, knowing too much about sexuality," she says.

Signs that a child is being sexually abused include sleep problems, withdrawal from friends and family, statements about their body being dirty, aggressiveness, severe mood changes and secretiveness. McBride says, "Children don't change their behavior or personality for no reason."

With their trust shattered, both women know their healing will take time. Coral says, "I'm dealing with it on a daily basis." Anne tells others to remain hopeful and goal oriented, and don't take any of the blame.

Parents can prevent or lessen the chance of sexual abuse by telling their children that if somebody, anybody tries to touch their body to say no and tell them right away. Also, teach children that respect does not mean blind obedience to adults and to authority. Parents can also encourage professional prevention programs at local schools.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Nancy McBride
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
(800) 843-5678

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