UNITED STATES
The Marietta Times
June 30, 2012
By Ashley Rittenhouse – The Marietta Times (arittenhouse@mariettatimes.com) , The Marietta Times
Confusion, guilt and physical pain are just some of the things sexually abused children experience.
While the physical pain may only be temporary, many feelings and emotions associated with the abuse last a lifetime.
“I don’t think a person can completely heal from that,” said Sheila Shafer, deputy director of programs at Athens County Children Services. “It’s part of their history, their existence, but it’s important as part of the healing process to come to terms that they were a child when it happened and they aren’t to blame and there are adults that were supposed to be protecting them.”
Shafer said there are many ways sexual abuse can impact a child, including physically.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.