Show S f. E e I 1 o i. i 1 X U. U T Myth A r L Li f t. t I. I it J. J f J Jf t- t orA or it t t- t f i t. t lI A A f Fact tP F q r BL B t L U. U iJ S Y J i E p t I II II I o r. r ar 4 0 r r r 4 t 1 i. i t r cr t f 1 1 1 l by Mike W Wilson Statistics Statistics in the United States in indicate ii ate that one out of six people in the US U.S. will be sexually sexually abused abused or assaulted before they are age eighteen At least one out of every three females will be sexually abused or assaulted before reaching their eighteenth birthday five Eighty-five percent of all sex offenders are not strangers but were known by the victim or their families Incest involves between five and fifteen percent of the US U.S. population this figuring out to be around 33 million cases annually Boys are also the victims of sexual abuse and assault 27 percent of the offenders are members of the immediate household 35 percent of all cases happen in the victims victim's home The age range of victims is from a few months to adulthood but the average age at beginning is 10 years According to Webster incest is defined as sexual contact between persons too closely related to marry legally Incest is not the result of an offender being sexed over-sexed and out of control Sex is not the issue in question closeness is Removal or of the offender is not an effective solution Incest is the result of the mechanics of a family becoming seriously dysfunctional and must be treated as such The psychological cal scars of sex sexual al' al abuse will not go away by themselves J z 1 1 6 Icy 1 Mi over time any more than cancer will cure i itself elf if put out of mind The only a acure cure is to get professional help and understanding According to Lynn M. M Roundy Director of Central Utah Sexual Abuse h Treatment Program Incest is a family problem with generational repetition frequently occurring Although child abuse in in general has now become an issue widely recognized and one which has as resulted in consi considerable erable public awareness concern and action the sexual abuse of children incest incest is still E I largely being ignored Perhaps the major reason for this is to be found in the nature of the incest taboo which has been maintained for centuries and which still causes most humans to respond with strongly negative emotions at the very mention of the word incest Parents United is a profit non-profit and non sec sectarian non arian ll volunteer r organization which helps victims and perpetrators tors to solve abuse problems Its It's open to all who have experienced incest and child sexual ab abuse se The Santa Clara County Chapter is the original founding chapter f The he purpose of Parents United s sto Roundy is to provide to-provide assistance 1 II to fa families ili s involved with child sexual abuse and re reunite i th the family a and d he help p it 7 4 fl function in a healthy manner whenever possible If this is not appropriate thenan then thenan an effort is made to help the family separate in a positive fashion A f The goal of Parents United is to help each other through gh individual crisis fJ periods to change hange self self- self hate ate to self self-e self esteem teem to share in individual vidual problems and r progress with one another another and t to find workable solutions to to all problems j They support one another in In resuming more positive and appropriate parental r be behavior and in learning how to better me meet t their own needs and those of their t children In short Parents United is a group of people helping e each ch oth other r help themselves them them- themselves them them- selves in in a bo bond d of friendship and understanding and all is is k in strict kept pt con con- f i Those interested in further information about bout this this' program call Mr Lynn r. r 0 Roundy Parents United Coordinator at Ext 20 or to report incest or child sexual abuse call this same number and ask for Division of Family Services or call your local police authorities The pro problem lem of incest cannot annot be resolved the by ignoring of it Only by addressing on head-on can we bring the discussion of incest f. f out of the closet and arid into the It is open our only hope of effectively stemming f 4 the devastation of the family unit brought about the increase of sexual child ti t r a abuse b us e l. l F. F u. u 10 2 h.- h. |