Child abuse is a vice whose effect on the victim takes a lot of time and guidance to heal. Multigenerational sexual abuse, in this context, refers to sexual abuse of a minor by a person whose age deems them to be guardians, parents or grandparents of the victims. This vice often goes unreported due to the many heinous tricks that the perpetrators use to stop the child from gaining a credible ground for confronting them (Morgenbesser, 2010).
The first issue that makes the children insecure about reporting the crimes is due to failed expectations. Children, from birth, take cues and adopt the morals of the people who are older than them. The character that a child develops highly depends on the guidance and the reaction that the adults surrounding the child offer. The personality is, therefore, shaped based on the ideals that the adults accept within their society. A child thus looks up to parents and the other adults to guide them and help them to become better as they mature. Once an adult commits a sexual crime, the child loses the stability that they had (Morgenbesser, 2010). The point of reference that they had in adults as a base for guiding their character is shattered.
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The other factor that destabilizes the victims of multigenerational sexual abuse is the fact that the perpetrators are the very people they would go to in case they needed help. Bullying and harassment are part of what most children go through both in their neighborhood and in schools. The majority of the children report the cases to their parents and elders who take it upon themselves to ensure that the child gets the deserving emotional and environmental comfort. Once a child is molested by a family member, they lack a basis to report to. The people who would have otherwise been their security turn to be the very same individuals who compromise it. This makes a sense of insecurity to develop in the kids (Julich, 2005).
The children further lack a base for moral support once they risk reporting the perpetrators to other adults. This particular issue gains root in the supposition that the victimized children do not know which of the remaining adults can be trusted. The children risk being framed as liars when they report adults to other adults. This reason, coupled with the threats that the perpetrators make to keep their acts a secret makes the children lack a substantial approach and the strength to report the crimes (Coleman, 2001).
Sexual crimes committed against children mess up the family development for the affected children regardless of whether the parents realize about the crime. In most cases where parents are the offenders, the children’s idea of a family becomes distorted. Any respect that they may have had for the parent is lost and in its pace, there develops the feeling of fear and hate for the parent. The role of both parents in the development of a child ends up being destroyed (Alexander, 2011).
Many of the children end up being suicidal since they blame both parents for what happens to them, even if only one of the parents committed the act. The parent responsible for the crime is hated due to what he/she did. This is mainly because the child loses the moral support he/she would expect back home. To further coerce the victim into silence, the child is often subjected to victimization making them lack the importance of a family. The parent who did not commit the crime is blamed for failing to protect the child and as such, the entire setting of the family in the brain of the child is ruined (Adams & Porter, 1986).
The marital future of the child is put at risk. This is because the child feels worthless as a victim of abuse. The child also develops a hatred for parents and people of the same gender as the perpetrator. Since this mainly happens to be members of the opposite gender, the child avoids any significant relationships with them. A pivotal role in the fight against child sexual harassment is by educating the family members of the potential to have the same in the family. This enlightens the family members and also provides children a chance to speak out (Adams & Porter, 1986).
References
Adams, P. & Porter, R. (1986). Child Sexual Abuse within the Family. Family Relations , 35 (3), 459. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/584381
Alexander, R. (2011). Medical Advances in Child Sexual Abuse. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse , 20 (5), 481-485. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2011.607754
Coleman, J. (2001). Ritual, and child sexual abuse, but not ritual child sexual abuse. Child Abuse Rev. , 10 (2), 82-83. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/car.678.abs
Julich, S. (2005). Stockholm syndrome and Child Sexual Abuse. WCSA , 14 (3), 107-129. http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/j070v14n03_06
Morgenbesser, L. (2010). Educator Sexual Abuse: Introduction and Overview. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse , 19 (4), 367-370. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2010.496677
