Wendel Abel
THE DISCUSSION in the media about the young girl who was sexually abused has no doubt unearthed painful memories in many persons who were themselves abused as children.
The abuse of our children has been part of our reality and certainly one of the ugly legacies of slavery. The fact is children have always been and continue to be abused in this society in one form or another, be it emotional, physical or sexual. So pervasive is the problem of abuse in this society that we have had to established specialised clinics for working with abused children.
Below, I present some data from one such clinic in Montego Bay for the period 2000 to 2004. Over this period, a total of 431 clients attended the clinic. The average age for clients reporting to this clinic was 11 years. Ninety-six per cent of the clients seen were females and the most common form of abuse among those who attended the clinic was sexual abuse (91 per cent). This was followed by physical abuse (five per cent) and neglect (one per cent) and other forms of abuse (three per cent).
The low rate of persons reporting for physical and emotional abuses was clearly due to the fact that many times as adults we do not accept and recognise these forms of abuse.
Here is more interesting data from that clinic - 79 per cent of males and 97 per cent of females seen were abused by a male; 52 per cent of clients reportedly knew the abuser.
These data speak to the reality of sexual abuse in this society. It has always existed and as a society we sometimes turn a blind eye to this problem.
Whatever it is, child abuse leaves scars that persists for life. I write this article especially for the many children and adults who have experienced abuse, the survivors of childhood abuse.
WHO IS A SURVIVOR OF CHILDHOOD ABUSE?
A survivor of childhood abuse is anyone who endured the abuse as a child and who survived it. Survivors of childhood abuse present with a number of mental health problems ranging from anxiety disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder and depression.
Many of these individuals also have problems establishing stable and meaningful relationships and others are sensitive to rejection. Alcohol and drug abuse are problems that are also common among survivors of abuse. In addition, many individuals suffer low self-esteem, difficulty trusting others, self-destructive behaviour, shattered self confidence and a failure to achieve in life.
Dr. Wendel Abel is a consultant psychiatrist and senior lecturer, University of the West Indies; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
