Victims of child abuse rarely lie

Child abuse is a difficult topic to talk about. Child sexual abuse is even
harder to acknowledge.
Often, adults ask me if children lie about
being sexually abused. It is not easy to believe that a person could
harm a child in such a way. Children do not lie about sexual abuse.
Statistics show that children are truthful 99.5 percent of the time.
Because children disclose abuse in a variety of different ways, this
often can be misunderstood and interpreted that the child is being
untruthful.When a child discloses sexual abuse, it can be upsetting to the caretakers and
reactions vary. Reactions can include confusion, disbelief and denial.
Another coping mechanism is to try and dismiss what was said as a lie or
an attention-seeking story.
There are many factors to consider when
supporting sexually abused children and to understand their
experiences.
> The way children report sexual abuse depends on their age and
developmental level.
> Children don’t automatically report the way adults do.
> There is no way a child can explicitly
depict the details of sexual acts performed on them unless the child has
experienced it.
> Children who have suffered multiple abuse encounters often present conflicting data,
combining information from years of abuse into one or two accounts that include inconsistent
details.Sometimes these children are found less credible
due to conflicting details and cannot give clear and specific facts that
will stand up in court.
> Only when a child’s statements can fit criteria of reliability and consistency can they be
successful in criminal court. While a child’s inconsistencies may on the
surface seem like lying, they often are normal for their age and
developmental stage.
> Just because charges of alleged abuse have been dropped and/or children have recanted certain
statements, it does not indicate that children lie about sexual abuse.
> While controversy rages about whether to believe certain children, the
children continue to feel misunderstood and mistreated, heightening
their sense of being victims.
> Sexually abused children have been known to deny, minimize, “forget’’ and confuse facts of the abuse,
but rarely do they lie.
> The most important thing that you can do for a child who is surviving sexual abuse is to listen
and believe the child and protect the child from further acts of abuse.
If you suspect abuse, offer the child support and contact your local
child protection services or law enforcement.