Last February, John Couey, a man who was charged with capital murder for the kidnapping and sexual battery against a 9 year old child, confessed he had sexually abused his daughter when she was 6 years old. John Couey had also committed sexual battery against two of his nieces.
This case is just one little representation of million of similar cases that take place all around the world. Sexual abuse, assault or sexual battery, as it is commonly known, refers to any kind of non-consensual touching of the intimate parts of someone else. Victims from abuses suffer great emotional wounds, mainly if the abuse happens when they were small children. Their self-esteem, feeling of security and safety are heavily damaged for a lifetime.
For numerous and understandable reasons, abused children find very difficult to talk about their situation. Once they do it, relatives must get together to help him/her. The pain the child has to undergo must be battled against as soon as possible. Usually, parents of abused kids try to leave the entire situation behind. They do not talk about it or any other related situation. In this way, the child will only feel pressure to pretend the pain is not there, and instead of overcoming it, it will only be increased. This is the reason why psychological help, therapies, specialized medications, and family support are primordial in the healing process of the possible traumas children acquired due to the abuse.
Along with the therapies required for the victim, people must realize that the most important way to help children is to denounce abusers as soon as possible and without hesitation. Time is very precious when dealing with this type of people. Sexual abusers are compulsive when finding victims, reason why people all over must strive to track and monitor sex offenders. Remember that abusers are within the family most of the time, and we must be alert to any subtle sign of abuse from our kids. Every state has an appropriate legislation to capture and punish the responsible ones for these crimes; still, some extra help is missed. Therefore, if you have any suspicion of someone who may be a potential abuser, do not feel afraid of contacting the respective authorities to start any required investigation. Do it for the children's own sake and for their future.