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. Continue reading →
A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse and More 