Sex Abuse Support Centers Survive On Little Money

It seems to be the case with most support centers.  The money is not there to help those who really need it.  In Hawaii, the problem is magnified by the smaller populations.

During the early morning hours of a summer day in 2001, a Honolulu woman was raped by a man she knew.

Still in shock, she took a shower and went to work. All the while, confusion filled her mind of what had just happened to her hours earlier.

At lunch the woman, who requested to remain anonymous, called the Sex Abuse Treatment Center at the Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children for help.

A crisis worker advised her to undergo an examination at the hospital and guided her through the intake process. "It was almost like she was this angel. I went to work and felt like I was out of my body. ... She was like an anchor," she said.

This is the kind of feedback that keeps staff members at the Sex Abuse Treatment Center going. But they also know that they are not reaching everyone who needs help.

That is why the center, which provides services to sex assault victims statewide, plans to request more funding from lawmakers next year to provide better service and outreach to victims.

Executive Director Adriana Ramelli said she plans to ask lawmakers for $2 million in state general funds for fiscal year 2006-2007, a 54 percent increase from $923,783, the amount the center has received from the state annually since 1996.

Remembering and Forgetting Childhood Sexual Abuse

A study done by the University of Washington back in 1998 suggests it may not be memory repression abuse victims suffer from. It may be due to how the memory is encoded into our brains.

Researchers probing people's memories of sexual abuse report two ordinary mechanisms may be responsible for temporarily forgetting and later remembering genuine instances of childhood sexual abuse. Their findings suggest that it is possible to explain such forgetting without repression.

In a new study, University of Washington psychologists Susan Joslyn and Elizabeth Loftus say that events which are not well understood when they occur are not fully integrated into a person's memory, are not thought about often and thus are more difficult to retrieve.

In addition, Joslyn and Loftus report that people are reluctant to assume a negative label such as "sex abuse victim" when that label is inconsistent with their present self-view. The majority of people, they say, fail to acknowledge having been abused even though they report specific abuse events. This may be because they are reluctant to regard themselves as 'abuse victims.' That label doesn't fit with their self-image. This fact further hinders recall because events are not classified as abuse in memory, leaving people without an appropriate category in their memory. These kinds of memories are difficult, but not impossible, to retrieve. "Obviously, some sexual abuse events are too memorable to be forgotten in this manner because they were too violent or occurred multiple times," says Loftus, a UW professor of psychology

"Our study suggests people can forget some instances of childhood abuse by normal means and we don't have to rely on something as dramatic as repression and so-called 'recovered memories' to explain the process," adds Joslyn, a lecturer in psychology at the UW and lead investigator on the project.

I know in my experience I had some incredibly violent dreams and they were memories coming to the forefront of my mind twenty years after.  Whether that was memory repression or not, I am interested in these findings.

To explore people's memories of childhood sexual abuse, the researchers used questionnaires to ask 800 male and female college students if they had experienced any of seven events that are commonly considered to be sexual abuse when they were age 15 or younger. The events ranged from being exposed to someone's sexual private parts to rape.

Follow-up questions measured subsequent memory for the event and whether the participant considered the event to be sexual abuse now and at the time it occurred. In a totally separate question, participants were asked if they had ever been sexually abused.
Of the participants, 176 or 22 percent said they had experienced one or more of the sexual events. In all, they reported 384 sexual events. Surprisingly, only 42 of these people said they had been sexually abused when answering the generic abuse question. Also, nearly a third of the people who said they had experienced an abusive event reported they wouldn't have remembered the event if they had been asked about it.

"When you don't understand an event totally, you remember it less and recall it less," says Joslyn. "It's not that you can't recall it, it's just that you don't. This explains how people might forget sexual abuse in some cases."

Even more surprising were the responses of the 120 people who answered "no" to the generic abuse question. Of them, 108 or 90 percent contradicted their own definitions of abuse in denying that they were abused. While these people said a particular event they experienced -- such as being touched -- was abuse, they then turned around and answered "no" when asked if they'd ever been abused.

I have heard this as being called denial, but I don't think it is.  When I was faced with certain realities, I had to come to terms with admitting that my experiences were indeed abuse.  I didn't want to believe that I had been abused.

Why do so many people who reported a sexual event in their childhood not classify themselves as victims of sexual abuse?

Loftus and Joslyn believe it may have to do in part with the number and types of sexual abuse events they experienced. The people who classified themselves as "abused" reported an average of 3.3 sexual events while the "not abused" group reported an average of 1.4 events. Physical contact or the lack of contact also played a role in people's perception. Only one of 40 people who said they experienced a non-contact sexual event, such as having another person expose him or herself, said they had been abused. However, 41 people or 24 percent of those who said were touched identified themselves as abused.

People's views of themselves can be a powerful barrier against recalling something that is contradictory to that self-portrait, according to Loftus. "The group we studied was made up of college freshman who are young and healthy and don't want the victim label put on them," she says.

"Either of these mechanisms is a plausible explanation for temporary forgetting of events such as childhood sexual abuse," conclude the researchers.

Technorati Tags : repressed, remembering, memory, childhood, sexabuse, sexualabuse

Radio Station Does Focus on Sexual Violence Awareness

A radio station, Cool 104.7, located in White County, is doing their part in keeping "track" of sexual predators.

Cool 104.7 Owner Ken Madden sits at the radio station Friday. Madden is organizing a week of radio programs and announcements dealing with the sex offender situation in White County and around the nation. (Greg Benenati)

One Searcy business owner is doing what he can to raise child predator awareness in White County.

Ken Madden, owner and general manager of SBI Radio, which broadcasts Cool 104.7 and 1350 AM La Konsentida, has organized ten days to be devoted to the subject of sexual predators.

The business, in partnership with Central Arkansas Hospital and White County Medical Center, will focus on ways to educate the public on how to protect children from sexual abuse.

From July 25 through August 5, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9-9:30 a.m., Cool 104.7 will broadcast "Know Your Neighbors" segments featuring interviews with Arkansans working to end sexual violence and child abduction in the state.

"A lot of things are coming out about sexual predators that have been reactive," Madden said. Madden, who has two children of his own, said one reason he came to the decision to develop an event like this was the fact that these crimes do not just happen in the bigger cities, and that sexual predators are also found in small towns across the nation.

Myths About Male Sexual Abuse

Malesurvivor.org has a great list they have compiled about the myths around male victims:

Myth #1 - Boys and men can't be victims.

This myth, instilled through masculine gender socialization and sometimes referred to as the "macho image," declares that males, even young boys, are not supposed to be victims or even vulnerable. We learn very early that males should be able to protect themselves. In truth, boys are children - weaker and more vulnerable than their perpetrators - who cannot really fight back. Why? The perpetrator has greater size, strength, and knowledge. This power is exercised from a position of authority, using resources such as money or other bribes, or outright threats - whatever advantage can be taken to use a child for sexual purposes.

Myth #2 - Most sexual abuse of boys is perpetrated by homosexual males.

Pedophiles who molest boys are not expressing a homosexual orientation any more than pedophiles who molest girls are practicing heterosexual behaviors. While many child molesters have gender and/or age preferences, of those who seek out boys, the vast majority are not homosexual. They are pedophiles.

Myth #3 - If a boy experiences sexual arousal or orgasm from abuse, this means he was a willing participant or enjoyed it.

In reality, males can respond physically to stimulation (get an erection) even in traumatic or painful sexual situations. Therapists who work with sexual offenders know that one way a perpetrator can maintain secrecy is to label the child's sexual response as an indication of his willingness to participate. "You liked it, you wanted it," they'll say. Many survivors feel guilt and shame because they experienced physical arousal while being abused. Physical (and visual or auditory) stimulation is likely to happen in a sexual situation. It does not mean that the child wanted the experience or understood what it meant at the time.

Myth #4 - Boys are less traumatized by the abuse experience than girls.

While some studies have found males to be less negatively affected, more studies show that long term effects are quite damaging for either sex. Males may be more damaged by society's refusal or reluctance to accept their victimization, and by their resultant belief that they must "tough it out" in silence.

Myth #5 - Boys abused by males are or will become homosexual.

While there are different theories about how the sexual orientation develops, experts in the human sexuality field do not believe that premature sexual experiences play a significant role in late adolescent or adult sexual orientation. It is unlikely that someone can make another person a homosexual or heterosexual. Sexual orientation is a complex issue and there is no single answer or theory that explains why someone identifies himself as homosexual, heterosexual or bi-sexual. Whether perpetrated by older males or females, boys' or girls' premature sexual experiences are damaging in many ways, including confusion about one's sexual identity and orientation.

Many boys who have been abused by males erroneously believe that something about them sexually attracts males, and that this may mean they are homosexual or effeminate. Again, not true. Pedophiles who are attracted to boys will admit that the lack of body hair and adult sexual features turns them on. The pedophile's inability to develop and maintain a healthy adult sexual relationship is the problem - not the physical features of a sexually immature boy.

Myth #6 - The "Vampire Syndrome"Ñthat is, boys who are sexually abused, like the victims of Count Dracula, go on to "bite" or sexually abuse others.

This myth is especially dangerous because it can create a terrible stigma for the child, that he is destined to become an offender. Boys might be treated as potential perpetrators rather than victims who need help. While it is true that most perpetrators have histories of sexual abuse, it is NOT true that most victims go on to become perpetrators. Research by Jane Gilgun, Judith Becker and John Hunter found a primary difference between perpetrators who were sexually abused and sexually abused males who never perpetrated: non-perpetrators told about the abuse, and were believed and supported by significant people in their lives. Again, the majority of victims do not go on to become adolescent or adult perpetrators; and those who do perpetrate in adolescence usually don't perpetrate as adults if they get help when they are young.

Myth #7 - If the perpetrator is female, the boy or adolescent should consider himself fortunate to have been initiated into heterosexual activity.

In reality, premature or coerced sex, whether by a mother, aunt, older sister, baby-sitter or other female in a position of power over a boy, causes confusion at best, and rage, depression or other problems in more negative circumstances. To be used as a sexual object by a more powerful person, male or female, is always abusive and often damaging.

Believing these myths is dangerous and damaging.

• So long as society believes these myths, and teaches them to children from their earliest years, sexually abused males will be unlikely to get the recognition and help they need.

• So long as society believes these myths, sexually abused males will be more likely join the minority of survivors who perpetuate this suffering by abusing others.

• So long as boys or men who have been sexually abused believe these myths, they will feel ashamed and angry.

• And so long as sexually abused males believe these myths they reinforce the power of another devastating myth that all abused children struggle with: that it was their fault. It is never the fault of the child in a sexual situation - though perpetrators can be quite skilled at getting their victims to believe these myths and take on responsibility that is always and only their own.

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Abuse Survivors Support Groups Listed on DMOZ.org

On DMOZ.org, a human-edited web directory, there is a listing of support groups and self-help resources. I have not checked every one of them, so, if there are any broken links or negative resources, please leave a comment and let me know which ones may not be acceptable.

• Adam's Dimension - Adam's personal story about child sexual abuse and recovery.
• Downeast Maine Survivors - Child abuse survivors recovery, child advocacy, links, creative writing, and information.
• Garyp - A Survivor of Hell - A survivor's description of his life and the consequences.
• GhostWolf - Out of the Abyss - The biography, art, poetry and writings of GhostWolf, an incest survivor.
• In My Father's Arms - The story of a gay man molested in childhood by a father well known and loved by his community.
• Inside My Lost Solace - My life, my rape, my recovery, my beliefs, my pastimes, and my thoughts.
• Male Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors - Male survivors telling their stories; resources for survivors; articles and information.
• Sexual Abuse Recovery Forum - A place of healing for survivors of sexual abuse and rape.
• Steve's - Open 24 Hours - Sexually abused from four years old until he was ten years old, his abuse remained buried until a traumatic event occurred.
• Story of the Child Abuse Man - Paul McLaughlin tells his story.
• Survivors Swindon - Supporting adult male survivors of child sexual abuse and adult sexual assaults.
• There's No Way I'm Telling Anybody - NHL star Sheldon Kennedy came forward in 1997 with a survivor's tale of sexual abuse at the hands of his junior hockey coach.

Definition of Abuse

Reading some information about sexual abuse on MenStuff.org made me realize I have taken a few things for granted. Being only one voice of an abused male, I have assumed people know what I am talking about. I hope the following definition makes it clear for anyone stumbling upon this web site.

Definitions of Sexual Abuse

Let's look at the definition of sexual abuse derived primarily from within the Recovery community.

• Physical sexual: involving intercourse, oral sex, anal sex, masturbation of the child, having a child masturbate an adult, sexual touching (fondling), sexual kissing and sexual hugging;
• Overt/explicit: involving voyeurism or exhibitionism
• Covert: involving verbal sexual abuse or lack of appropriate boundary setting with the child
• Emotional sexual: involving emotional enmeshment by the parent, child witness to sexual abuse or not providing appropriate and healthy sexuality information.

Male Sexual Abuse Victims of Female Perpetrators

As I have been conducting my research in my local library and through various resources on the Internet, I have found an interesting piece regarding the sexual abuse of males by female perpetrators. I had thought of this before since I was abused by several people during childhood, and one of them was a female.

The reality that boys are sexually abused by women is not widely accepted. Some people view it as an impossible act - that a male can’t be sexually assaulted by a female - and others view it as sexually titillating. The existence of female perpetrators and male victims confronts many of our most firmly held beliefs about women, men, sexuality, power, and sexual assault. It challenges our very notions about what sex is.

The view that males always want and benefit from sex with females

A commonly held view of heterosexuality is that men are always wanting and seeking sex with females; males are dominant, while females are submissive. Men initiate sexual encounters, and women accept or decline male invitations for sex. If a female initiates sexual contact with a male, this is viewed as a rare and exciting opportunity that no man should let pass by; he should be grateful.

Given these beliefs, many people see nothing wrong with a woman pursuing a boy sexually. In fact, in some circles it is considered a good way to introduce boys to heterosexuality. Some fathers take their young sons to prostitutes with the mistaken belief that it is “good” for them. A number of movies, stories, jokes, and fantasies portray older women sexually “seducing” young boys in positive terms.

I agree that, most often, it is the males of our society whom are depicted as being the aggressors. Television is filled with abused females and very few abused males, if any. I recall watching this horrid court room drama about a wife whom was abusing her husband. The program continued and every few minutes the phrase: "Oh, come on, a strong guy like yourself couldn't protect yourself?"

It was such garbage. Believe it or not, many males do not choose to fight those weaker than them. North American society portrays most victims as females and the aggressors as males - thus giving people the impression males are brutish creatures with no control over their strength.

It couldn't be farther from the truth.

Read more on this here.

What To Do If Your Child Has Been Abused

More from Oprah's web site. This information is about how you can deal with your child, should you find your child has been abused.

How to Help Your Child Deal with Molestation

• If your child tells you that he or she has been touched inappropriately, stay calm. Your reaction may make your child feel more guilty or afraid, and they might have a harder time talking about it.
• Tell your child that you are glad they told you about it. Telling was a good way to take care of themselves and also the person who touched them. That person needs help with their "touching problem." Tell your child that you will take care of things. Tell your child that you will need to talk to someone to figure out what to do next. Be careful to not make promises that you cannot keep.
• Seek support and comfort for yourself where the child can't see or hear what you say.
• In order to avoid confusion, anxiety or guilt, children should not overhear conversations about their disclosure. Too much information or discussion can also interfere with the police investigation or prosecution.
• Call your local child abuse hotline or local police department and report the abuse. Failing to report the abuse may mean that other children might get abused, too. Don't try to handle the situation yourself.
• The prognosis for healing after being molested is better for children who are supported and believed when they disclose.
• Don't allow any further contact between your child and the alleged offender. Don't confront the offender yourself.
  

Take Legal Action

• Jill DiCarlo, a Deputy District Attorney who prosecutes child molesters, warns that the biggest mistake a parent can make is not reporting sexual abuse to the authorities.
• It is crucial to the child that you report abuse and pursue prosecution.
• The child has the opportunity to get justice. It gives them satisfaction.
• Persecution helps make sure that the abuser cannot strike again.
  

The source material for this information is here.

Talking To Your Kids About Sexual Abuse

I was reading some information on Oprah's web site a few day ago and found some information I felt was important to pass along. My personal abuse experience was over several years and it was a terrifying experience because I was only 7 when it began. What I think made it more terrifying is that I didn't know what had happened. I was too young to put any of it into any sort of context.

• Talk openly with your children about sexual development, behavior and abuse.
• Use proper or semi-proper names for body parts (penis and vagina), and phrases like: private parts are "private and special."
• Tell your children that if anyone touches or tries to see their private parts; tries to get them to touch or look at another person's private parts; shows them pictures of or tries to take pictures of their private parts; talks to them about sex; walks in on them in the bathroom; or does anything that makes them feel uncomfortable to tell you or a "support person" as soon as they can or the next time they see you.
• Tell your children that some children and adults have "touching problems." These people can make "secret touching" look accidental, and they should still tell you even if they think it might have been accidental.
• Tell your children that touching problems are kind of like stealing or lying, and that the people who have those kinds of problems need special help so they don't continue to have problems or get into trouble. Don't describe it as a "sickness."
• Tell your children that some people try to trick kids into keeping the touching a secret. Tell your children, "We don't want those kinds of secrets in our family."
• Give your children examples of things that someone might use to try to get them to keep a secret: candy, money, special privileges, threats, subtle fear of loss, separation or punishment.
• Make sure they have support people they can talk to at home, at school, in their extended family, neighborhood or church. Have them pick out three people and tell you who they are. Put the phone numbers next to your phone and let them know that, if for any reason they cannot talk to you, they should call or go see another support person.

This is some information with a few helpful hints and suggestions. Whether or not it is "good" advice is up to you. I feel it is, but do more research on your own before talking to your children about sexual abuse.

The source material for this list is here.

The Question Of Why Me?

Abused, Empowered, Survive, Thrive has an entry on their web site about the question of "why me"?

Why Me?Sooner or later every one asks the question, "Why did it happen to me ?"I struggled with that question for years until I found understanding therapists. Lets get some things straight before we go on to look at this question deeper. Your abuser will no doubt of made you feel that the abuse happened because it was your fault in some way. In asking the above question, you are trying to find out what you did wrong. The ONLY thing that you did wrong was to believe your abuser, and whoever that was LIED to you, and USED you. Other than that you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I know that putting it that simply won't be good enough for you yet, so I shall try to explain the answer a little better if I can. Hopefully the simple answer will be enough for you one day soon.

It is such a simple, yet, powerful question. It can be distracting and irritating. At times, it is a good question. Other times, it can become an obsession. But, is it a good question?

Male Sexual Abuse and Other Abuse Victims

I want readers to know, this site is not just about male sexual abuse. This blog is for all abuse victims. Because I am a male, I can only speak about my experiences and I do not want to speak for everyone.

If you have any information, comments, stories, or anything, please let me know and I will make sure your voice is heard on this blog.

It's An Extraordinary Idea

As most abuse survivors know, there are good days, bad days and very bad days. The bad days tend to surprise us. We may be great the night before, but upon waking, our mind has already decided that this day will be "one of those". It can be difficult to deal with but, eventually, one becomes their happy self again.

I was having a horrible day the other day (not that anyone would have known) and I tried to find something that would cheer me up. I headed off to the bookstore and looked for something that would make me happy. I flipped through a series of books, sat down with a coffee and read for a while.

One of the books I was reading through had this one sentence. I was flipping through and came across is:

It's an extrodinary ordinary idea, that we can restore what has been shattered. In fact it's our responsibilty to try -- each of us -- to make our world whole again.

I needed those words. Very simple words, yet, so very hard to find. No matter how much we try to make ourselves happy, whether you are an abuse survivor or not, there are days when it just doesn't seem like we will ever be happy again.

I can't remember the book that sentence came from (if you find it, please let me know) but I do believe it is a story worth reading. Anything that makes me smile in the depths of my bad day is worth a lot. It is like happiness were coated in gold.

Survivors Of Sexual Abuse

One of the major problems male sexual abuse survivors face is quite simple - shame. It is a very difficult situation to over come. The simple process of talking about emotions is hard enough for some males but talking openly about the abuse they endured makes it almost impossible. Some sale sexual abuse survivors are not able to process some emotional content. And like many abuse survivors, the abuse is difficult to re-live each time they discuss it.

This blog is a resource to try and help those who have never sought help. We welcome any e-mails from abuse survivors who wish to share with us their stories of abuse and how they were able to finally come to terms with it. We will also be providing some general assistance by listing some survivor information.

We know there are many out there wanting to talk but do not have the courage to seek out assistance. We can help. We are not professional therapists, we are merely wishing to point those who are ready for help in the most positive direction we can.

All communication received in our e-mail will never be shared with anyone and any e-mails will be deleted communication has been completed.