Sexual abuse occurs when one person sexually caresses another without their consent or forces them to have sex, using emotional means and/or physical aggression. During the act, the aggressor may introduce your sex organ, fingers or other objects into the intimate area without the victim’s consent.
Other features of sexual abuse are when the victim:
- Other forms of sexual abuse occur when one person forces another person to caress their genitals or attend sexual conversations.
- Watch sexual acts or obscene transmissions.
- Film or take photos of the naked victim to show them to others.
The main victims of such abuse are women, but homosexuals, adolescents and children are also frequent victims of such crimes.
The victim who has apparently been sexually assaulted may not show physical signs, however, the vast majority have the following signs and symptoms:
In addition, girls or women may become pregnant, in which case it is possible to resort to legal abortion, provided that a police complaint is filed proving sexual abuse.
To prove abuse and the right to abortion, the victim must go to the police and tell them what happened. As a general rule, a woman should carefully observe the victim’s body for signs of aggression, rape, and a specific examination is required to identify the presence of secretions or semen from the perpetrator in the victim’s body.
It is better that the victim does not bathe or wash the intimate area before going to the police station so as not to lose the secretions, hair, hair marks or nails that can serve as a test to find and incriminate the aggressor.
To cope with the harmful consequences of sexual abuse, the rape victim must have the support of the closest people he trusts, such as family members, family members or friends, to recover emotionally and within 48 hours he must go to the police station to record the complaint. of what happened. Following this step is very important to find and judge the perpetrator, in order to prevent abuse from happening to the same person or others.
First, the raped person must be observed by a doctor for tests to identify lesions, STDs or a possible pregnancy. Medications may be needed to treat these situations, as well as pain and antidepressant medications to calm the victim and recover.
In addition, the emotional trauma caused by abuse must be treated with the help of a psychologist or psychiatrist because the act leaves many roots of mistrust, bitterness and other consequences that damage the person’s life in every way.
The victim still feels guilty about rape and it’s common to have feelings like “Why did I go out with him?” or “Why did I flirt with this person or let him approach?” However, even if society and the victim feel guilty, it is not their fault, but the aggressor’ fault.
After the act, the victim may present deep marks, with frequent and repetitive nightmares, low self-esteem, fears, phobias, mistrust, difficulties to connect with other people, difficulties in eating with disorders such as anorexia or bulimia, a greater tendency to use drugs to escape reality and not go through suffering, suicide attempts, hyperactivity, aggression, low academic performance, poor academic performance , compulsive masturbation that can even injure the genitals, antisocial behavior, hypochondria, depression, difficulty expressing feelings and relating to parents, siblings, children and friends.
The victim must be supported by family and friends and should not go to school or work, being away from these tasks until he has recovered physically and emotionally.
In the first phase of recovery, with the help of a psychologist, the victim should be encouraged to recognize their feelings and the consequences of rape, which may be AIDS or an unwanted pregnancy, for example.
Two other strategies for dealing with the consequences of sexual assault include:
The use of tranquilizers and antidepressants such as alprazolam and fluoxetine may be indicated by the doctor or psychiatrist to be used for a few months so that the person is calm and can sleep with restful sleep. These remedies can be used for long periods of time until the person feels better and keeps their emotions under control even without them.
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The psychologist may indicate the use of certain techniques, such as looking and speaking in the mirror, saying compliments and words of affirmation and support to help overcome trauma. In addition, other techniques can be used to increase self-esteem and psychotherapeutic treatments for the victim to fully recover, although this is a long process that can take decades.
It can be difficult to try to understand what’s going on in the abuser’s mind, but sexual abuse can be caused by a psychological epidemic and other factors such as:
However, it should be noted that none of these factors warrants such aggression and any aggressor should be punished.
In Brazil, the aggressor can be arrested if it is shown to be the perpetrator of the abuses, but in other countries and cultures, sanctions range from stoning, castration and death. Currently, there are bills that try to increase the penalty for abusers, increase the duration of the prison and also the implementation of chemical castration, which consists of the use of drugs that greatly decrease testosterone, prevent erection, making sexual act impossible. for up to 15 years.