The Month of April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month

Sleep, 9 x 12 inches, Oil on Canvas, October 1993 (Private Collection)

Sexual abuse can happen across all ages, but molestation is strictly limited to younger children. Because a child’s penis or vagina is too small for physical penetration, molestation occurs when the child is "forced to perform oral sex, touched in an inappropriate manner, and/or made to watch the adult masturbate. Sexual abuse happens over a longer period of time and involves actual physical penetration, in addition to everything that is included in molestation.

The above quote is from: http://www.kidslivesafe.com/child-safety/sexual-molestation-vs-sexual-abuse

A few years ago, I came across a video on the internet about a Peruvian girl by the name of Lina Medina who gave birth at the age of 5 years, 7 months, and 21 days. The focus of that particular documentary was about the pregnancy, her age and the medical condition called "precocious puberty", which enabled the pregnancy at such a young age.

So, this was a case of sexual abuse and yet, there was absolutely NO discussion about the abuse or the man who abused Lina and finally impregnated her. She was a child of 4 years of age, still playing with dolls, and had no idea what was being done to her. How can a 4 year old even begin to wrap her mind around such a thing? Why, as a society, were we more consumed by the oddity of the age of the pregnancy rather than being outraged and disgusted by the action of the male who perpetrated such a violation on a child?

This was in 1939 and yet, this abuse continues; children are still being neglected and sexually abused and molested.

Here's the harsh reality and hopefully, food for thought and ultimately, a call to action:

• 1 in 10 children will be sexually abused before age 18.
• Of the children who are sexually abused, 20% are abused before the age of 8.
• 1 in 7 incidents of child sexual abuse perpetrated by juveniles occurs on school days.
• Only 4-8% of child sexual abuse reports are fabricated.
  

For a very informative PDF, Child Sexual Abuse Statistics, go to Darkness to Light at:
https://www.d2l.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/all_statistics_20150619.pdf

Lollipop, 7 x 10 inches, Sketch Conte Crayon & Charcoal on Paper, November 2010