Child Sexual Abuse: From Harsh Realities to Hope

This book is for people who want to understand child sexual abuse in new ways. Based on interviews, the book shows what child sexual abuse means to child and adult survivors, perpetrators, and mothers of survivors. These first person stories make this book different from most others on child sexual abuse. Because of the first person stories, this book can be difficult to read. Yet, these stories show what children experience when they have been sexually abused. Adults are helpful to children when they can handle the harsh experiences that children have had. Effective responses to child sexual abuse require understanding the experiences of children who have been abused. While not backing away from the harshness of child sexual abuse, the book also offers hope. It describes how survivors recover from child sex-ual abuse, describes treatment and prevention programs, and makes recommendations for policies and education programs. Above all, this book is for survivors and their families so that they can understand the harsh realities in their own lives, find goodness and hope within them-selves and in trustworthy other people, and move on to rich and fulfilling lives.