Knowledge is power!

You know,  everyone with an interest in the child abuse tragedy has their own personal  "slant".

Some people are hell-bent on chasing errant clergy,

others changing the laws, some survivors believe that just by telling their story they are making a difference, others by forming groups,  etc etc. 

There are even some who think they can influence the narcissistic church!

We all make  a contribution, and they are all valuable. 

I have NO interest in engaging with the criminal organisations that are the cause of the problems, my absolute passion is for real recovery, and I am determined that people should fully understand the horrors of the  damage that is caused to someone who has been abused.
It is my contention that although there is “lip service” paid to the tragedy surrounding childhood sexual abuse, there is a gaping hole in the understanding of the severity of it’s consequences.

Despite seeming outrage from anyone hearing of these crimes, there is a tendency to view what are referred to as “historic” trauma as something that may seem only to necessitate victims to have need of some “counselling” or perhaps psychiatry, maybe social care or pastoral support.

This is an offensive trivialisation of a devastating crime against a child, and is particularly true of the attitude of the churches, the law, governments, and even some support groups. 

Survivors of these abuses are often viewed at best as unstable, or at worst of dubious character, and the crimes themselves are trivialised, the victims receiving the very least that they can be offered rather than the very best they deserve. 

Childhood sexual abuse is a catastrophic, life sentence to all abuse victims, and has serious consequences even for future generations. 

It is not possible to be sexually abused as a child and survive unscathed, and the extent of those legacies, in my opinion needs to be properly highlighted and taken into consideration when considering how any state or organisation deals with it’s aftermath, or indeed safeguards future generations. 
We witness this crime being relegated to an unfortunate “blip” rather than the tsunami of dreadful proportions that it actually is. 

Although it is indeed important to recognise the mental and emotional effects of such early traumas, it is a more important and a much-neglected fact that these are merely symptoms of physical, and permanent changes that will have occurred for that person.

Scientific research has shown categorically that childhood sexual abuse cause physical changes to the victims brains, immune systems and metabolic systems, moreover it has been proven to shorten expected life span by around twenty years.

While it is true that the victim may be put on a distorted life path which often involves mental health problems, addictions, self harming, suicides, even criminal behaviour, what is not being acknowledged is that what has become referred to as “psychological damage” will have a physical root. 

A victim may very well have serious physical conditions which can be clearly attributed to their trauma.

They will have a greater susceptibility to life threatening conditions such as heart disease and cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and are far more likely to commit suicide. 

These are facts , but are rarely considered, mostly avoided, and this is a travesty.

I am much  involved with the education of professionals, and survivors alike into the true nature of this damage, and it is my firm belief that  everyone involved in any aspect of child abuse should be in full possession of all of these facts.

This should include therapists, lawyers, social workers, politicians and the UN committees.

Otherwise along with the damage that has already occurred, the victim is further abused by the trivialisation of their ordeals.

My own remit actually is not particularly to safeguard future generations, so much as to change the attitude towards existing survivors. 
Otherwise our trauma is negated once again. It is impossible to safeguard future children without a very full and searching examination of past failures and ignorance of the facts.

There has been a systematic refusal to look properly at the severity of the issues, a refusal that threatens to undermine any progress being made in the safeguarding of children.