Does sexual abuse
create sexual abuse? The nation’s, perhaps the world’s, leading epidemiology
researchers, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has some things to
say about this. In 2014, the CDC published a document called, “Connecting
The Dots: An Overview Of The Links Among Multiple Forms Of Violence.” The
document’s section on sexual violence refers the reader to “Rape
Perpetration: A review” by R. Jewkes of the Sexual Violence Research
Initiative. Jewkes says, in part:
The evidence of
childhood sexual abuse as a risk factor for subsequent perpetration is very
extensive and probably has been the most comprehensively investigated of all
risk factors for perpetration. In a meta-analysis, a history of child sexual
abuse was five times more common among adolescent sexual offenders than among
adolescent non-sexual offenders (Seto and Lalumiere 2010). Further, sexual
offenders against children are much more likely to have sexual abuse
victimisation histories than non-offenders or non-sexual offenders (Whitaker
DJ, Le B et al. 2008). Several large national studies of US adolescents and men
in college have found that those who had sexually assaulted a partner were significantly
more likely to have experienced sexual abuse themselves (Malamuth, Sockloskie
et al. 1991; Malamuth, Linz et al. 1995; Borowsky IW, Hogan M et al. 1997;
Casey, Beadnell et al. 2009). A meta-analysis shows all types of sex offenders
have an elevated risk of exposure to sexual victimisation in childhood
(Whitaker DJ, Le B et al. 2008), with some authors having found higher rates of
child sexual abuse among sexual offenders against children than those among
sexual offenders against adults (Seghorn TK, Prentky RA et al. 1987; Overholser
JC and Beck 1989).
(Note: The studies
I’ve seen generally distinguish between men, whose childhood sexual abuse increases
the risk that they will abuse others, and women, whose childhood sexual abuse
usually increases the risk they will get abused again. Women who get sexually
abused as children are much less likely than men to commit sex offenses of
their own).
So yes, sexual abuse
creates sexual abuse. It should be obvious that we need to help survivors of
sexual abuse get past their pain. Sex offender therapists, however, are notoriously resistant to the idea of
treating the victim issues of people who commit sex crimes. How about we go
beyond treating survivors of sexual abuse to preventing abuse in the first
place, by treating the people I call “Invisible Survivors.”
Or is it just too
hard for you to hold the two images of perpetrator and victim in your mind as
the same person? Do you think perps don’t deserve help? Then not only are you
denying them help, you are setting them up to create
even more victims. Now who’s the bad guy?
