Sexually abused?

Question

I'm sorry, but I get a little confused. Naturally everyone condems the person who sexually asaults the child. Yet many voice the opinion that the one who is assaulted may also become the assaultee as a result of them being a victim. How do we judge these attacks and how do we punish?

Answer 1

Now that's a minefield, a child that is abused is a horrible thing but does that then give them the right to abuse a child when they become an adult?
If you follow the logic then abused becomes the abuser and the abused becomes the abuser and so on.
I would hope that if someone was abused as a child and felt the urge to abuse as an adult they would seek serious help before they did, there's a big step between thinking and doing.
The chain would have to stop one way or another even if that meant them putting a bullet through their own head rather than hurt a child.

Answer 2

Ok, what the hell dude? Im 19 and I know that that is some ****** up ****. He's actually emotionally sexualy abusing u. Its not actually sexual abuse bcoz he hasn't done anything physical. I say keep the f u c k away from this phsyco. U say ur 19 and u don't know any better? What the hell? Ask urself this, if u were over 50, would u be stalking an innocent teenager? Chances are ud say no to that. If anything did happen between u two, that would be classifie3d by most laws around the world as pedophilia! And I take it u know just how serious that is! This is some serious sht dude. Id say talk with ur bf or husband wateva, ur parents or a confidential counsellor avbout it. Talk talking to this freak! And better yet, yahoo answers probably isn't the best way to go. All ull get on here is d I c k heads who don't know what their on dude. Talk to someone confidentially. This guy is a physco dude. Stop talking to him its nasty 4 u and its disgusting. Ask ur self, would u allow ur children (if u were to have any) to do this? Ud be horrified. Goodluck Amy, 19, female, engaged, 2nd year bachelor of medicine degree, adelaide, australia

Answer 3

The same way. If someone assaults a child, no matter why the "reason", that person should be severely punished. No matter what may have happened in the past, what happens in the present is the choice of the person in the present. The past may have been terrible, but it has no control over a person's choice to hurt someone someone else.

Answer 4

Are you talking about petapheilia (sorry for bad spelling) or sexual abuse in general? I agree with holding someone totally responsible for their actions regardless of previous victimisation, but we also need to take into consideration the mental and phsycological portions of the behaviour and treat them accordingly. I don't think being a victim should stop them from being held accountable, but we should also make an effort to heal the pain that has become a factor of the abuse. Wounds like these cut very deep, and without help for healing, they will become infected and festering, which will permeate to other parts of the individuals life and those surrounding them. How can we expect someone to change their behaviour if they know nothing else, than pain and victimisation? Only love and guidence, and alot of work from the individual can solve this problem and help the wounds to heal.

Answer 5

I think that it would take a jury to make that decision, I would not like to judge this as I have never been in that situation, I could sort have understood someone that had been abused in the past becoming an abuser but would not condone, but no one should abuse anybody no matter what, I am lucky and have never been abused but I can not say what the outcome would have been if I had been, the punishment has to be bad otherwise where does this stop, also the assaultee should understand how bad they felt and that it should not happen to others, but until this is your situation how can you understand?

Answer 6

There is a correlation between being abused and becoming an abuser but that in no way condones the abusve behaviour. Not in the slightest. Every person has a mind of ther own and can make choices. There is not an adult out there that does not know that abuse is bad thus if they choose to abuse someone they choose to go against societal vales and should be held fully responsible regardless of the fact that they have been abused.

Answer 7

Although it is a horrendous act to go through as a child, it does not justify you growing up to be a molester. We all have the ability to know what is right and what is wrong, and no matter how much hate, rage, confusion and self-loathing a victim has after being molested, it does not give them a free pass to become a molester themselves. I was molested for three years by a couple of my older brother's friends, and while I sometimes feel disgusted with myself, and I do not always trust people who want to get close to me, I have never considered molesting a child. I think that many "victims" who later go on to be molesters would have grown up to be molesters anyway.

Answer 8

this is a very delicate question. I am sure a professional in the field "psychologist or psychiatrist" will do more justice to answer it than non-professionals. Hope it helps. It would be a good suggestion to search whether or not such "question and answer" does exist specifically for problems of the nature you just raised.
one comment about "justice and punish" for your information -- the justice system (at least in Canada) is to protect the public and not to punish.
the law professor stated it that way.

Answer 9

Do you see all victims replying in kind, as sexual assault victims are reported to do? Of course not; this simple social science finding, based on simple correlation and ideological belief, falls to pieces when scientifically investigated. Every attack is judged on it's merits and I do not see simple correlation as an extenuating circumstance, although it is often entered as a mitigating one; for sentencing purposes.

Answer 10

Lock the evil person away and throw away the key. I have never heard of a victim becoming the abuser, but if they do, to wrongs don't make a right, so punish them both!