Victims of sexual abuse can be male or female, infant or elder. They can be abused at home, at work, in school, or in any other areas they visit. And they aren’t alone. There are 80,000 new cases of child sexual abuse reported each year, and more than 200,000 reported rapes.
Sexual abuse includes forcing any unwanted and/or inappropriate sexual remarks, gestures, contact and activities upon another person. This includes taking photos or sharing photos or pictures, talking about or making references to sexual activities, and inappropriate eye contact or physical contact.
The majority of victims are sexually abused by family members or close friends. This is especially true for children. Here are tips on how to protect yourself and your family:
Always be aware of your surroundings. No who is near you, and who might be following you.
Don’t travel alone when it’s dark.
Lock doors on your house and your car.
Consider carrying mace or pepper spray.
Take a self-defense class.
Immediately report any activities at work or at school that you feel are abusive. Don’t let them escalate.
Instruct your children not to talk to strangers, and to run toward help if they are approached.
Remember to yell! Teach your children to yell as well; many people are shocked into silence when an abuser approaches. Be loud!
Talk to your children about reporting any inappropriate behavior immediately. Talk to them about obeying adults only when the adult is behaving appropriately. Teach your children to understand their feelings; if they feel scared or awkward for any reason, they should call for help!
Report any photos you find on someone’s computer or other belongings of children engaging in sexual poses or activities, or photographed in an inappropriate way.
Consider calling for a police escort. Your local police department is more than happy to help prevent injuries.
Install an alarm system on your house.
Get a dog that will alert you of any intruders.
Travel in groups.
Avoid dangerous areas.
Elders are vulnerable to sexual abuse as well. Make sure to look for signs of abuse, including depression, being withdrawn and pain and injury.
Physical elder abuse involves physically abusing an elder, and unfortunately, it is not uncommon. More than two million elders suffer abuse each year, and those are only the reported cases. Most elder abuse happens in the person’s own home or the home of a family member. Women aged 80 and older are the most likely to be abused. Often, it is the spouse or a child who is the abuser. Although there are many cases in which elder abuse took place at a nursing home, it is not as frequent.
Examples of physical elder abuse include when a child has to take care of a parent, and becomes resentful and feels overworked. The child begins being rough with the parent, and does things that physically injure the elder.
Another example is when a caregiver resents his or her job, and does not adequately care for the elder. The caregiver fails to give the elder proper pain medication, or fails to dress the elder appropriately for harsh weather conditions, or leaves the elder alone or incapable of moving for long periods of time.
Physical abuse is separate from financial elder abuse, sexual abuse and psychological or emotional elder abuse. Physical elder abuse includes, but is not limited to:
neglect
hitting
slapping
restraining
overmedicating or under-medicating
burning
biting
depriving the elder of foodor water
exposing the elder to harsh conditions, including bad weather
There are many symptoms of physical elder abuse. They include:
depression
bruises
broken bones
strains and sprains
skull fractures
burns
evidence of overmedicating
untreated injuries
injuries that aren’t healing properly.
If you are being abused, or if you suspect a loved one is being abuse, contact the police immediately, and then contact a personal injury attorney. It is important that you get your questions answered, and it is important that the abuser be punished for the crime and made responsible for all emotional and medical expenses involved.
Emotional elder abuse is not the same as physical abuse, elder neglect, or financial elder abuse, although all three can definitely be linked and can be committed at the same time. Emotional elder abuse consists of:
verbal harm
emotional harm
mental abuse
emotional neglect
psychological harm
Emotional elder abuse is usually committed by a family member or caregiver, although it is certainly not limited to them. These people inflict harm by:
name-calling
intimidation
bullying
trickery
false promises
giving the silent treatment
lying
harsh, angry words
yelling
threatening
attacking the elder’s feelings of self-worth and confidence
verbal punishment
Emotional elder abuse can be very hard to detect unless you witness it first hand. Of course, an elder might confide in you that he/she is being abused. In that case, you should ask the elder to document the abuse by keeping a diary or tape-recording the abuse, but only if you’re certain the elder won’t get caught. In the meantime, you should contact adult protective services in your state, and you should file a report with the police. If there is a family member who is outside the circle of abuse, contact that person and explain the situation. There are other ways to determine if an elder is being emotionally abused. Symptoms include:
depression
sulky silences
withdrawn mood
not wanting to see anyone
distrust
not speaking unless the caregiver is present (the caregiver has warned the elder against telling anyone of the abuse)
decreased appetite
suicide attempts
mood swings
If you know an elder who is being emotionally abused, contact adult protective services and the police.
Elder neglect is usually committed by a family member or other caregiver. Unfortunately, elder neglect usually happens because the family member feels overburdened or angered by any inconvenience. Elder neglect is similar to emotional elder abuse, physical elder abuse and financial elder abuse, but it is in it’s own category because it highlights the neglectful actions of a caregiver. Neglect means the caregiver knowingly and even maliciously does not take care of the elder. Neglect usually occurs in the form of:
malnourishment
starvation
under medicating
not medicating at all
not seeking medical treatment for the elder
not dressing the elder appropriately
leaving the elder outside during bad weather
not caring for the elder’s physical ailments
being harsh or cruel to the elder
not speaking to the elder at all
It’s sometimes hard to determine whether an elder is being neglected. Sometimes it’s hard because the caregiver might try to cover up the signs. An elder might directly tell you he/she is being neglected. If so, listen. Listening is a very important thing to a person who has been neglected. If the elder has not confided in you, here are some common signs of elder neglect:
being withdrawn and depressed
losing weight and appearing malnourished
injuries that are untreated
injuries that don’t heal
being underdressed for weather conditions
being left unattended
If you know an elder is being neglected, there are adult protective services you can call in your state. Notify the police as well. It might also be a good idea to try contacting other family members to let them know of the neglect. Let the elder know you will do everything in your power to help.
Unfortunately, child abuse still occurs today. Child abuse involves either harming a child psychologically, physically or sexually, or it occurs when someone fails to protect or care for a child, such as in cases of neglect. Child abuse can be inflicted by parents, siblings or other family members, as well as by teachers, caregivers, other children or strangers. Birth parents are the most likely to inflict abuse—they are the abusers 80 percent of the time.
Child abuse reports are received every 10 seconds, and an average of three children die every day because of abuse. There are both physical and behavioral symptoms of child abuse. Noticing and reporting these symptoms to authorities is important; children often cannot protect themselves, and they rely on adults to help them out of abusive situations.
Psychological and emotional abuse includes bullying, name-calling, degrading, yelling and shouting, overly aggressive discipline and ridicule. Signs of psychological or emotional abuse include:
Physical signs:
eating disorders
speech disorders
nervous disorders
Behavioral signs:
cruel behavior, such as bullying or animal torture
bed wetting
extreme behavior such as being listless or overly withdrawn
Physical child abuse cases include brain and head traumas, bruising and broken bones, spinal cord injuries, and cuts and burns. Signs of physical abuse include:
Physical signs:
unexplained bruises
unexplained burns
untreated injuries and burns
injuries that take an excessively long time to heal
Behavioral signs:
fear of caregivers
running away
inconsistent explanation for injuries
fear of physical contact
excessive shyness
Sexual abuse includes inappropriate touching, forcing the child to participate in or watch sexual acts, lewd behavior toward a child, and making the child undress. Signs of sexual abuse include:
Physical signs
frequent sore throat
pain and bruising in genital areas
sexually-transmitted diseases
pregnancy
Behavioral signs
promiscuous behavior
difficulty moving and sitting
decline in schoolwork
nightmares
reluctance to undress
If a child decides to disclose abuse to you, listen carefully and either sit or kneel in order to be at their eye level. The child has decided to place his or her trust in you, so be respectful, do not interrupt, and do not try to make any physical contact that will alarm the child, especially if he or she is a victim of physical or sexual abuse.
Once the child has disclosed abuse, or if you are suspicious of abuse even if the child hasn’t told you directly, report the abuse to police, child protective services or family services. Contact a personal injury attorney in order to be informed of your legal rights regarding the abuse.
Child abuse can be prevented. Volunteer your time in schools and daycare centers. Know the signs of child abuse, and educate yourself and others. Educate yourself and others about correct disciplinary actions.
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