Sexual abuse remains prevalent in our society, especially among children. Recently, Ashton Kutcher was asked by a Senator about sex slavery and what he says leaves everyone in tears.

In my work with clients who have experienced sexual abuse, whether as an adult or as a child, I cannot help but continue championing their right to thrive.

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No one should ever be exploited for another person’s own selfish means, especially sexually. It is a crime beyond words and our societies still have much work to do to help eradicate it.

“I’ve been on FBI raids where I’ve seen things that no person should ever see,” Aston said. “I’ve seen video content of a child that’s the same age as mine being raped by an American man in Cambodia. And this child was so conditioned by her environment that she thought she was engaging in play.”

The Facts don’t lie

In Canada:

• 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys experience an unwanted sexual act
• 95% of child sexual abuse victims know their perpetrator
• In 2005, the rate of sexual assault against children and youth was over 5 times higher than for adults

Sexual abuse affects a person’s sense of self-worth and identity right to their core. It leads to the victims no longer being able to have a sense of safety in the world. It brings confusion about proper boundaries where they often struggle in personal relationships.

Healing from sexual abuse is possible

As clinical therapists, we know from our work with clients the incredible feeling when someone’s eyes brighten to the realization that the abuse was not their fault, that they can be free and no longer held back from what happened.

No one should have to work so hard to experience what they could have known all along, if they had never been violated. Our societies are not yet as safe as they need to be. There still is required much education on how harmful every form of child abuse is.

It is encouraging to know that there are people like Ashton Kutcher who are working hard to help fight child exploitation. He is proof that if we all do our part in society, we can help make a difference.

Children are precious

Every child is a gift, a person deserving of love and care. Children ought to benefit from greater protections than currently given them. They are not possessions. They are independent beings that need to be nurtured until they can provide for themselves as adults. This is true for children in every nation, of every culture, colour and race.

The way a society treats its children says everything about that society. There is still much to do for children’s rights, including in our western cultures. Children come into this world pure, with everything to learn about this world, but have so much to teach us too. Let’s treat our children with increased respect and understanding, for in their eyes we are looking at the most beautiful thing this world will ever know.

– Written by Michael Haggstrom, Doctor in Counselling, Calgary, Healing from Trauma & Sexual Abuse Therapist

Sources :

Child Abuse: A Fact Sheet from the Department of Justice Canada

Research Library: Child Sexual Abuse. Victims of Violence.

Child Sexual Abuse (The Canadian Badgley Royal Commission, Report on Sexual Offences Against Children and Youths), 1984. (pg. 175 and 215-218).

Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile 2009. Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics. Catalogue No. 85-224-X. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.