Children Sexually Abusing Children
Paula Chipman
COM/172
August 25, 2014
Charlotte BabbChildren Sexually Abusing Children
The number of adolescent sexual offenders is on the rise. Now parents not only have to worry about adult sexual predators, but they also have to worry about adolescent sexual offenders. The background has a lot to do with how a child turns out. The fact that both male and female juvenile sexual predators exist is horrifying by itself. The sexual behavior that leads to sexual abuse can start as young as six years old (Marshall, 2008). The thought crosses the mind of all parents. How do they protect their child? Unless they plan on following their child everywhere they go, they can only teach them, and watch for the signs of both child predators and their victims. Everyone has to wonder what could cause one child to abuse another child sexually, and if they even understand the consequences of their actions. What will happen to the juvenile offender, will they get off with therapy or will they go to prison to pay for their crime? The younger offenders are getting therapy will the older predators are going to juvenile detention centers or even to prison. Most people wonder if the juvenile sex offenders register is even worth it. With the register everyone have to ask themselves if it will hurt the child in the long run, and if so will it cause the child to relapse. If the child relapses will therapy help a second time, or should they be sent to jail or a mental hospital for the safety of the public.
Most people are not exactly sure what child on child sexual abuse consists of. The fact is that child on child sexual abuse is when an adolescent child is sexually abused by one or more juveniles without consent and without any adult involvement. Children abusing children was recognized as a problem in 1979, when studies were already being conducted on college students under twenty-one years of age. The report showed that 19.2% of females and 8.6% males had been victims of sexual abuse by a child (Vizard, E. 2013). The most horrifying idea is that juveniles are estimated to have committed one-fifth of all rapes reported and almost one-half of all cases of child molestation reported by children under the age of twelve year old.
The facts are startling in that both males and females are sexual offenders. The statistics show that 7% of the sexual offenders are females (Finkelhor. Ormrod. Chaffin.). Females are known to commit sexual offenses that involve, many-victims and multiple-perpetrators. The younger girls are more likely to commit sexual crimes than the older girls. 93% of the sexual juvenile offenders are boys. Just like the girls, the boys are more likely to commit a sexual offense in a group rather than by themselves. With boys the victims are usually younger than the offenders and also almost all boys (Finkelhor. Ormrod. Chaffin.). Currently, there are around 89,000 known juvenile sexual predators widely spread across the United States (Koch, 2010).
Parents try to protect their children, but the truth is they cannot be everywhere and see everything. No matter how hard they try as parents they still have children sexually abusing children. One study showed that 62% of children that are abused were under the age of twelve, 44% were six years of age, and 35% of children who were sexual abused were between the ages for three and four years old (Martin, Pruet. 1998). As a parent, they need to know the symptoms of children who are sexually abused. A few of the symptoms can include: bowel disorders, such as soiling oneself, eating disorders, pain in the genital or rectal area during bowel movements or urination, and sleep problems. Some children who are abused may even start displaying disruptive behavior such as using alcohol and drugs, taking part in high risk sexual activity, and failing in school. Additional signs of abuse include: depression, anxiety, psychosis, post-traumatic stress disorder, and