In this master's thesis, I will adress a certain topic which is rarely the subject of discussion in today's society, because it is considered a taboo. The topic is child sexual abuse. As an inherently vulnerable group, children are particularly exposed to all types of abuse, the worst possible form being sexual abuse. Child sexual abuse causes traumatic consequences that can manifest in many areas of life during adolescence, all of which are associated with stigma. In the theoretical part of the master's thesis I will briefly present violence and the cycle of violence, from which I will continue by presenting various definitions of sexual abuse. I find it important to mention and dispel some of the most common myths that emerge in the wider society when we talk about sexual abuse. I also focus on on the characteristics of the perpetrators of sexual abuse and the course of sexual abuse, as well as the risk factors that make it more likely that sexcual abuse will occur. Furthermore, a large part of the theory is devoted to the consequences of sexual abuse, as abuse fort he victim means trauma and brings challenges to all areas of life. I am talking about the consequences of sexual abuse, which the authors categorise differently – short-term and long–term consequences, behavioral and physical signs. Despite many different classifications of consequences, most mention similar ones, among which the most common are post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, self harm, suicide, and other forms of emotional disorders, physical injuries, social exclusion and ultimately developmental delay. I pay special attention to post-traumatic stress disorder, which is considered to be the most common consequence of trauma, and the results of research in the field of neurological consequences of sexual abuse which are suggesting that sexual abuse causes structual changes in a person's brain. I am continuing with the legislation in the field of sexual abuse in Slovenia, and I conclude the theoretical part of my thesis with the course of the victims' recovery. I list the stages of recovery that a victim goes trough on the path to recovery, as assumed by various authors, and I also mention the inter-institutional treatment of victims of sexual abuse. In the empirical part of the master's I focus on a single case of life and recovery of a victim which was sexually abused in her early childhood. No sexual abuse is the same, and no victim has the same recovery needs, yet facts suggest that similarities emerge at certain points. Through the analysis of the interview, I present the circumstances of the abuse and the circumstances of the victim's life at the time, how the early consequences were revealed and what problems she still faces today, how the abuse affected different areas of her life, who helped her the most in ther journey to recovery and what relationship she has with the perpetrator of sexual abuse today.
|
