Mission Statement
Child SASH (Child Sexual Abuse Stops Here) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating the number of children who are sexually abused. We seek to educate the public on the importance of reporting known or suspected child sexual abuse to law enforcement or a state agency. 90% of child sexual abuse victims know their abuser. The number of sexually abused children will only begin to decrease when we as individuals and as a society begin to understand that the crime of child sexual abuse must be reported, regardless of the relationship to the offender.

• Fear or Terror: Sexual abuse often goes along with coercion, bribery, force, or threats. This can cause children to feel afraid to tell because of what the consequences might be (punishment, blame, not being believed, abandonment). Children might also live with fear that the abuse will happen again, that they did something wrong, or that future relationships will be abusive. Terror is often a residual emotion that emerges from the physical response of panic.

• Guilt and Shame: In an attempt to make sense of what happened to them, children may internalize and self-blame. Perpetrators often promote the feeling that the abuse is the child’s fault. Often children feel guilt for the natural consequences that happen to their perpetrator after they tell. They may have felt responsible for keeping the family together, for example. Some perpetrator conduct degrades its victim, causing shame or self-loathing. 

• Anger or Rage, Behavior Problems at School: Fear drives anger. Anger may be directed at self or others. Anger is one of the most powerful feelings victimized children have about their abuse. They may be angry at their perpetrator or also at others who they feel failed to protect them. Anger also stems from a sense of helplessness. 

• Helplessness, Powerlessness, or Loss of Control: Sexually abused children often have no control over their own bodies or their own lives. They feel that they have no choices available to them.  They are small, dependent, and emotionally immature. Due to these, they cannot escape from their abusive situation. When their attempts to protect themselves fail, these children come to believe that they are helpless and eventually stop trying. When physical escape is not possible, some children survive by mentally escaping while the abuse is happening through dissociation.

• Flashbacks and nightmares: Flashbacks are like nightmares which happen while the child is awake. Also called re-experiencing, the child experiences all of the feelings again which they felt at the time they were being assaulted. Many times, nightmares are not a repeat of the event(s) but scary or threatening involving monsters, demons or another lurking terror. Both nightmares and flashbacks are extremely intense and intrusive to both the child’s thoughts and feelings. 

• Sadness, Traumatic Grief, and Sorrow: Children may feel grief due to a sense of loss, especially if the perpetrator was loved by them. Grief can be a profound feeling with phases of denial, protest, despair, irritability, and indifference. 

• Isolation, Withdrawal from Social Activities, and Emptiness: Perpetrators typically isolate their victims to protect their secret. Children can also struggle with depression and a sense of emptiness, contributing greatly to their isolation and a natural withdrawal from normal social activities.

• Relationship Problems: Sexually abused children tend to develop an inability to trust others, have poor social skills, withdraw from age appropriate, normal social activities, and are reluctant to disclose details about themselves and therefore are often perceived as closed off or unapproachable. 

• Escapism or Self-Destructive / High Risk Behaviors: Such as substance (drug and/or alcohol) abuse, self-mutilation or cutting, suicide, and other high risk behaviors.

• Lowered Self-esteem: This effect certainly follows these children into adulthood. They can have “damaged goods” or “used goods” syndrome with negative body image due to self-blame. This may be intensified if they suffered physical pain during the incidents of abuse. 

• Depression: Intrusive and possibly disabling thoughts and feelings of depression.

• Anxiety and Hypervigilence: Including intense startle reactions, psychological and physiological reactions to triggers (external or internal cues that remind the child of the abuse) such as crying, nausea, headaches, shaking, muscle aches, or nail biting. Anxious thoughts and behaviors may also include persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the abuse. 

• Regressive Behavior: Such as thumb-sucking, bed wetting, “baby talk”, or an inability to progress forward in learning.

• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Although PTSD does not apply to all sexually abused children, it describes symptoms which are characteristic in many cases of child sexual abuse and is often diagnosed. Speak to your child’s therapist for criterion. 

When child sexual abuse is reported, children have the potential then to have their thoughts and feelings validated and normalized; to have their experiences witnessed by another, to be accepted, and to be reminded of their resiliency. Reporting can send the message to a child that they are believed, worthwhile, and can be protected. Reporting can send a message that they will be protected and not punished. They can see that their perpetrator will have consequences; a statement that what happened to them was NOT OK. These children can then receive help through counseling, victim services, and other networks of support in their healing and removal of the above symptoms. Our children are worth it! There is hope. Report today.