CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
Secrecy – a sexual abuse offender’s best friend
Perpetrators are usually in a position of power over the victim due to:
- Age difference
- Intellectual disability or differences
- Threats
- Exploitation or violence
- Promises and inducements (such as promise of gifts or money).
A good resource book that teaches children about 'Secrets' is called 'Some Secrets should never be Kept' and is available on our website.
Before we begin looking at indicators of sexual abuse, it’s important for you to understand the powerful role secrets play in sexual abuse. It’s also important for you to understand how committed the victim can sometimes be to keeping the abuse a secret.
In most cases of sexual abuse, and especially by the time a peadophile has groomed a child victim, the relationship between the offender and the victim is usually one where the offender has all the power. This can be due to the victim’s age or intellectual disability, or because the offender has threatened, bribed, or exploited the victim in some way or made promises or inducements to them – sometimes in the form of gifts but sometimes in other ways.
Sexual abuse can be a little different to the other three types of abuse. While secrecy often forms part of all kinds of abuse, this is never more true than in the case of sexual abuse.