
According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, or RAINN, one in nine girls and one in fifty-three boys under the age of eighteen experience sexual abuse or assault at the hands of an adult.
The effects of child sexual abuse can be long-lasting and can have a profound affect on the victim’s mental health. Victims are four times more likely than non-victims to develop symptoms of drug abuse and/or experience PTSD as adults, and they’re three times more likely to experience a major depressive episode as adults.
Out of the 63,000 sexual abuse cases substantiated by Child Protective Services each year, 80% of perpetrators of sexual violence against children were parents. Many of those children are placed in foster care, and it is vital for foster parents to be equipped to support children who have been traumatized sexually.
My guest for this episode of A Fostered Life Podcast is Kevin, a man who knows all too well how being sexually abused as a child affects a person’s life. As he shares from his experience, Kevin offers invaluable insight and advice for those of us who may be called on to care for children who are victims of sexual violence.
I’m so grateful for Kevin’s transparency, vulnerability, and willingness to share about this extremely hard topic, and I know you’ll gain as much from this conversation as I did.
Kevin’s Suggested Resources for Victims of Sexual Trauma and Abuse:
BOOKS*
“Victims No Longer” by Mike Lew
“Not Quite Healed” by Cecil Murphy and Gary Roe
“Beyond Betrayal” by Richard B Gartner
“Writing Ourselves Whole” by Jen Cross
WEBSITES
PODCASTS:
MPower Survivors
Healing Warriors Male Abuse Survivors
Beyond Surviving with Rachel Grant
CRISIS LINES
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline; 1-800-273-8255
24hr Crisis Line; 206-461-3222,
local7-1-1, WA relay
866-4CRISIS national
For more information and resources for foster parents, please visit afosteredlife.com, where you’ll find blog posts, youtube videos, and social media links so you can connect with others on the foster parenting journey.
If you’re interested in supporting my work at A Fostered Life, please go my Patreon page, where you can become a patron. Just one dollar a month helps offset the cost of producing these resources and enables me to offer them freely to new and prospective foster parents, and I’m grateful for the support of my patrons.
Thanks for listening and thanks for caring about foster care.
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