Child Abuse Myths

Planting blue pinwheels during Onslow Memorial Hospital’s Guardian ad Litem Ceremony (2012), Source https://www.dvidshub.net/image/579653, Author Lance Cpl. Martin Egnash on behalf of Marine Corps (PD as work product of federal govt.)

The blue pinwheel is a nationwide symbol for child abuse, and April is Child Abuse Awareness Month.  The following myths about child abuse, however, persist [1][2].

Myth #1 Child Abuse Is Rare

Because child abuse is underreported, it is difficult to obtain precise figures.  Estimates are that 1 in 7 children in the United States experience emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse or neglect.  Over 600,000 children are abused each year [3A].  Around 1,820 children died of abuse and neglect in 2020 [3B].

Myth #2 Child Abuse Is Confined to the Lower Economic Classes

Child abuse transcends race, economic status, and geography.  It has been present in every age and every society.

Myth #3 Predators Are Strangers

We imagine the menacing stranger in a raincoat.  But about 90% of sexual abuse victims know their abuser.

Across all types of abuse, about 91% of victims are maltreated by one or both parents.  Other perpetrators include relatives, foster parents, neighbors, and daycare workers.

Myth #4 Perpetrators Are Mentally Ill

While some abusers may have mental health issues such as depression, most abusive parents are not mentally ill.

Though pedophilia is still considered a psychiatric disorder, sexual predation in not excused by reason of diminished capacity on the part of pedophiles.  To the contrary, some psychiatrists now argue that pedophilia is merely a form of sexual orientation [4].

This blurs the line between illness and evil, a dangerous step toward normalizing pedophilia.

Myth #5 Children Provoke Abuse

This is blatantly false.  No amount of bad behavior on a child’s part justifies abuse.

Myth #6 Sexual Abuse Is the Most Common Form

Of the over three million cases of alleged child abuse investigated in 2017, 74.9% actually involved neglect.  Neglect is found most among infants and young children.  Caregivers fail to meet the child’s basic needs for food, clothing, shelter, social interaction, safety/supervision, healthcare, and education.

Myth #7 Emotional Abuse and Neglect Are Less Serious

Emotional abuse is associated with severe and long-lasting psychological/behavioral/developmental/physical issues.  But all forms of abuse include an emotional component.  While physical abuse may result in more obvious signs of maltreatment, the importance of caring for a child’s emotional well-being cannot be overemphasized.

Myth #8 A Young Child Will Have No Memory of Abuse

This is a rationalization predators often employ.  It is not, however, true.  Although young children may not be able to express the trauma they experience verbally, they are likely to recall that trauma and express it in other ways.  Repressed memories of childhood trauma can, also, resurface in adulthood.

Myth #8  Children Often Lie about Abuse

Less than 10% of allegations of sexual abuse by children and teens are false.

Myth #9 Children Usually Tell Someone

Research has found that most child victims delay disclosing (or never disclose) sexual abuse to family, friends, or authorities who might intervene.   Confusion, shame, fear, and concern for the perpetrator (often a family member or trusted adult) can all play a part.

When a child does tell someone about abuse, the words he or she uses are not generally those an adult would use.

If a child shares the abuse secret with someone but is not believed, that can result in further trauma.

Myth #10 If a Child Has Been Sexually Abused There Will Be Medical Evidence

This is not accurate.  Medical evidence is found in less than 5% of substantiated child sexual abuse cases.

Sexual abuse can take many forms aside from intercourse.  While still seriously harming a child, the abuse may not have caused physical injury.  There may, also, be a long interval between the abuse and physical examination [5].

Myth #11 Only Men Sexually Abuse Children

Women are the perpetrators in at least 20% of child sexual abuse cases.

Myth #12 Boys Are Less Traumatized by Sexual Abuse than Girls

While the symptom exhibited by men and women differ, the degree of trauma among male victims of childhood sexual abuse and female victims is comparable.

Myth #13 Sexually Abused Boys Are Destined to Become Predators

Although there may be a link between childhood sexual abuse and later sex offenses, male victims are not fated to become child molesters [6][7].  In fact, the majority do not become predators [8].  Choice always plays a role.

Myth #14 Children with Disabilities Are Less Likely to Be Victimized

Sadly, the opposite is true. Children with disabilities are particularly vulnerable.  They are 2 or 3 times more likely to be  victimized than those without disabilities.

Myth #15 Child Abuse Is a Life Sentence

The scars of childhood abuse can last a lifetime.  But God never abandons victims.  Support and access to services can provide the tools to heal.

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[1]  National Children’s Advocacy Center, “10 Common Myths about Child Abuse”, https://nationalcac.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/FINAL-10-Common-Myths-with-References.pdf.

[2]  End Child Abuse and Neglect (EndCAN), “11 Myths about Child Abuse – Separating Fact from Fiction”, https://endcan.org/2021/02/15/11-myths-about-child-abuse/.

[3A and 3B]  National Children’s Alliance, “National Statistics on Child Abuse”, https://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/media-room/national-statistics-on-child-abuse/.

[4]  Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry (JAAPL), “Pedophilia and DSM-5:  The Importance of Clearing Defining the Nature of a Psychiatric Disorder” by Fred Berlin, December 2014, https://jaapl.org/content/42/4/404.

[5]  National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Library of Medicine, Deutsches Arzteblatt International, “Physical Examination in Child Sexual Abuse” by Dr. Bernd Herrmann et al, October 2014, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4215093/.

[6]  Cambridge University Press, “Cycle of child sexual abuse:  Links between being a victim and becoming a predator” by M. Glasser et al, 1/2/18, https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/cycle-of-child-sexual-abuse-links-between-being-a-victim-and-becoming-a-perpetrator/A98434C25DB8619FB8F1E8654B651A88.

[7]  National Institutes of Health, “Sexual abuse history among adult sex offenders a meta-analysis” by Ashley Jespersen et al, March 2009, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19327831/.

[8]  National Institutes of Health, “Testing the sexually abused-sexual abuser hypothesis:  A prospective longitudinal birth cohort study” by Chelsea Leach et al, January 2016, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26615777/.

The Dept. of Justice is finalizing a settlement with Olympic stars Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, and dozens of other gymnasts abused by sports doctor Larry Nassar.  The settlement — which may be as high as $100 million — arises out of a lawsuit against the FBI for its delay in investigating complaints about Nassar. 

See, https://cbs12.com/news/nation-world/lawyers-for-larry-nassar-assault-survivors-reach-100-million-dollar-deal-with-doj-sources-say-gymnastics-sports-doctor-fbi-investigation-victims-negotiations.

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