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Last night on part 2 of R&B Divas L.A. Kelly Price revealed the heartbreaking truth of her abuse. Her cousin raped her at 3 years old. This triggered Lil’ Mo into emotional overload as she realized that all molestation was a common theme on the stage.
Here are a few facts about sexual abuse.
- In the United States, approximately 1 out of every 4 girls and 1 out of every 6 boys is sexually abused.
- Seventy to 73% of child sexual abusers report experiencing sexual abuse in their own childhood.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 150 million girls and 73 million boys under 18 experienced forced sexual intercourse and other forms of sexual violence globally in
- According to WHO, 1.8 million children are involved in pornography and prostitution. Over 1.2 million children have been trafficked.
- Children living with a single parent or a parent living with an unmarried partner are most at risk for child maltreatment, which is over eight times the rate of children living with married biological parents.
- Children who are victims of sexual abuse can suffer many serious health effects, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, somatization, neurosis, chronic pain, sexualized behavior, learning problems, animal cruelty, self-destructive behavior, suicide, antisocial behavior, sleeping difficulties and/or nightmares, angry outbursts, not wanting to be left alone, and further victimization into adulthood.
The facts are that sexual abuse does harm the child and that the damage often carries over into the child’s adult life.
Studies show that this damage can include:
- difficulty in forming long-term relationships;
- sexual risk-taking that may lead to contracting sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS;
- physical complaints and physical symptoms;
- depression, suicidal thoughts, and suicide;
- links to failure of the immune system and to increases in illnesses, hospitalizations, and early deaths.
In addition to the tangible physical and emotional damage that sexual abuse does to the child, that terrible secret that is held so close by two or three family members can go on to tear at the fiber of the family in generation after generation.
If you need help dealing with the remnants of this tragedy or know someone who does visit:http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/ or call toll free: Toll free (800) 969-6642.
YOU ARE NIT ALONE!!!
*Note: Above statistics provided by “Megan’s Law: Facts about Sex Offenders.” Office of the Attorney General. 2001. Accessed: December 28, 2011.
Make sure to read: 10 Steps To Prevent Sex Abuse and What You DON’T Know About Domestic Abuse! [INFOGRAPHIC]
Here are a few more artists who survived abuse.
