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Justin Nguyen
Professor De La Ysla
ENGL 101 HCC
26 November 2013
The Past Struggles Make a Difference
Each and every single person goes through problems at different points in life; some
happen to be more traumatic than others and can change ones life significantly. Child sexual
abuse is a problem that some children face as they grow throughout their childhood; the effects
of this problem range from physical to psychological damage. Those who have been sexually
abused as a child are considered as victims; thus they would need friendly sources of support and
stress management in order to relieve their past experiences. Some child abuse programs have
been implemented to address the prevention of child sexual abuse. Sadly, due to the poor
treatment by those who supply these resources, the results are never permanent.
Child sexual abuse is on the increase with incest as the most widespread form (Alokan
359). Incest instills a sense of confusion in childrens minds, as they are too young to know what
to think of it. When the abuse takes place, immediate consequences have been dealt upon the
child. Physical consequences range from injury to permanent disability, while psychological
consequences range from depression to suicide (Alokan 359). The consequences transition into
adulthood as children deal with issues regarding their fear of trust. Who should they trust when
the ones that they trusted, sexually abused them? These sexually abused children should not
have to deal with the abuse that they go through. The child should be able to seek help from
authorities and therapists without the fear of not being able to trust them. Thus, there are child
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sexual abuse prevention programs in schools in order to give a child a place to confide their
problems of abuse.
The central goal of child sexual abuse prevention programs is to prevent abuse by
relatives and strangers by reducing the vulnerability of children to abuse and exploitation
(Bolen 2). These programs are said to be effective as they teach the children how to prevent the
abuse. Also, the information that the children receive can transfer over to actual situations when
confronted by the potential abuser. There is a sense of accomplishment when children are able to
prevent the abuse for themselves. But what if a child sees another child being confronted by a
potential abuser? Would they be prepared to help the other child out of their predicament?
The child sexual abuse prevention programs that are in schools have not decreased the
prevalence of abuse over the history of these programs (Bolen 1). Overall, these child sexual
abuse programs are ineffective because the programs address how to prevent child sexual abuse,
but does not properly inform how to disclose the abuse if it has already taken place. The fear in
childrens minds that they would be further abused if they were to disclose the information to
others is likely to happen. The information and skills that should be presented to the child must
be broad enough to cover the spectrum of potential abuse situations yet specific enough that
children feel competent to use the skills they have learned in potential abuse situations (Bolen 4).
Every child should be able to feel safe when they are at home, not threatened to keep quiet. The
problem would keep on occurring if the child does not learn what to do in situations where they
feel that they are going to be abused again if they tell anyone about their abuse. What should be
happening is that the child sexual abuse programs implement a place for refuge when the child
discloses that they are being sexually abused. Some places of refuge might be at a local church, a
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nurses office, or at a daycare center. Although there is no one solution to solve a child sexual
abuse problem, supporting the child after they have been abused would make a difference.
Support from abuse is lacking for children. According to David K. Shipler in The
Working Poor, The psychological techniques that help a child cope with sexual or physical
abuse do not work when the child herself becomes a parent (Shipler 161). Sometimes, people
do not know how to respond when others tell them of their problems. The listeners response
may lead to a negative impact on the childs well being because the child would not know many
others to turn to for help if the one person they confided in does not know how to respond.
Showing concern for the child and taking the child seriously when they disclose
information regarding their sexual abuse can relieve those symptoms associated with their sexual
abuse. Interacting with that child may be difficult due to several factors including: age at the time
of presentation and the circumstances of the presentation (Courtois 1). Nevertheless, the
presentation of the child sexual abuse would help the listener understand that the child is going
through tough times. The presentation of the abuse would also alert the listener to take
immediate action. Although immediate action seems to be radical, the action would be
uncomfortable for both the victim and the victims consultant.
Although child sexual abuse programs are not effectively reducing the commonness of
child sexual abuse, the programs inform the children on what to do when confronted with a
potential abuser. The information obtained from the programs may not always be effective and
may lead to abuse, supporting the child when they disclose it may relieve the symptoms of abuse.
Would the information disclosed from the prevention programs be more effective in the future?
Or would the programs become less effective?

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Works Cited
Alokan, Funmilola Bosede, PhD. "Child Sexual Abuse: A Potential Damage to
Children." Journal of Educational and Social Research2.2 (2012): 357-
63. ProQuest. Web. 25 Oct. 2013.
Bolen, Rebecca M. "Child Sexual Abuse: Prevention Or Promotion?" Social work 48.2 (2003):
174-85. ProQuest. Web. 25 Oct. 2013.
Courtois, Christine A. "The Sexual After-Effects of incest/child Sexual Abuse." SIECUS
Report 29.1 (2000): 11-6. ProQuest. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.
Shipler, David K. The Working Poor: Invisible in America. New York: Knopf, 2004. Print.