There are many additional reasons why children may feel the need to keep their abuse secret, including as a way of coping with the experience (McElvaney, 2016). Each child’s reasons may be unique, so the following list is by no means exhaustive, but may include:
- Feeling embarrassed or ashamed
- Fear of not being believed
- Not having the language or the capacity to communicate verbally, or not knowing how to tell
- Not recognising the experience as abusive
- Being threatened or manipulated by the person who has abused them
- Feeling that the implications of telling are worse than the implications of keeping it secret
- Fearing the consequences of speaking out, such as:
Additionally, some groups of children such as boys, d/Deaf or disabled children, black, Asian and minority ethnic children and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual (LGBTQIA) children may face additional barriers.
The following table presents the findings from the Barnardos report, “It’s not on the radar” – the report on hidden diversity of children and young people at risk of sexual exploitation in England (2016). Although the report focused specifically on one type of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, these barriers are relevant to all child sexual abuse.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQIA) young people:
• LGBTQIA young people may feel isolated and believe there will be a lack of acceptance by other people regarding their sexuality and gender identity. They may seek support via adult-orientated groups, online or, in the case of boys and young men, in public sex environments such as ‘cottages’ or ‘cruising grounds’.
• There is little in the way of educational resources or general information that provides advice to LGBTQIA young people about what a healthy relationship is.
• Societal attitudes towards sexual relationships among lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people can result in unhealthy or unsafe sexual relationships being accepted as ‘normal’.
• LGBTQIA communities might be reluctant to talk about or acknowledge CSE for fear of exacerbating homo/bi/transphobia.
Ethnicity & Faith
Community and faith groups are not homogenous and there can be a diversity of cultural and religious practices within communities.
• Victims of sexual exploitation come from all ethnic backgrounds, regardless of how conservative or ‘protected’ children may appear.
• Cultural and religious views and practices, particularly those that prize a female’s virginity or a male’s heterosexuality, may prevent victims from speaking out due to a fear of retribution or rejection from families.
Learning disabilities
Children and young people with a disability are three times more likely to be abused than children without a disability. Within this group, children with behaviour or conduct disorders are particularly vulnerable.
• Children and young people with disabilities are often over-protected and not informed about sex and relationships.
• The transition from children’s services into independent living is a particularly vulnerable time for young people with disabilities.
• Learning difficulties or delayed development may be a consequence of trauma or sexual abuse.
• A lack of diagnosis and assessment for learning disabilities can result in a child’s behaviour being misunderstood, and exclusion from school. This can lead to the child being vulnerable to CSE.
Boys and young men
• Societal values regarding masculinity and perceptions of males as perpetrators are seen to mask the fact that boys and young men can be victims too.
• Males seem to find it particularly hard to disclose abuse.
• Fear of being labelled gay, particularly in communities where there is homophobia, can prevent disclosure.
• There is too little recognition of the fact that a male can be both a victim and a perpetrator.
• Boys can be sexually exploited by peers, particularly in gang situations.
• Research has found that male and female CSE victims share certain common traits but also exhibit significant differences in terms of, for example, disability and youth offending rates.
• It might be assumed that young men engaging in sex are doing so because they are highly sexualised, gay or bisexual, and not because they are being exploited.
- Feeling embarrassed or ashamed
- Fear of not being believed
- Not having the language or the capacity to communicate verbally, or not knowing how to tell
- Not recognising the experience as abusive
- Being threatened or manipulated by the person who has abused them
- Feeling that the implications of telling are worse than the implications of keeping it secret
- Fearing the consequences of speaking out, such as:
- the impact on their non-abusing parent or wider family;
- being removed from the family, having to move home or school;
- the abuser getting into trouble, harming themselves or leaving the family;
- disrupting their family, particularly if the family is facing multiple adversities;
- fear of not being believed-
- - Feeling responsible for the abuse-
- - Impact on cultural context and community
- - Experience of racism, disablism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia
- - The child’s relationship with the abuser
- - The age of the child when the abuse started
- - The type of abuse (e.g. with penetrative and chronic abuse it may mean it can take longer for children to talk to someone).
Additionally, some groups of children such as boys, d/Deaf or disabled children, black, Asian and minority ethnic children and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual (LGBTQIA) children may face additional barriers.
The following table presents the findings from the Barnardos report, “It’s not on the radar” – the report on hidden diversity of children and young people at risk of sexual exploitation in England (2016). Although the report focused specifically on one type of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, these barriers are relevant to all child sexual abuse.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQIA) young people:
• LGBTQIA young people may feel isolated and believe there will be a lack of acceptance by other people regarding their sexuality and gender identity. They may seek support via adult-orientated groups, online or, in the case of boys and young men, in public sex environments such as ‘cottages’ or ‘cruising grounds’.
• There is little in the way of educational resources or general information that provides advice to LGBTQIA young people about what a healthy relationship is.
• Societal attitudes towards sexual relationships among lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people can result in unhealthy or unsafe sexual relationships being accepted as ‘normal’.
• LGBTQIA communities might be reluctant to talk about or acknowledge CSE for fear of exacerbating homo/bi/transphobia.
Ethnicity & Faith
Community and faith groups are not homogenous and there can be a diversity of cultural and religious practices within communities.
• Victims of sexual exploitation come from all ethnic backgrounds, regardless of how conservative or ‘protected’ children may appear.
• Cultural and religious views and practices, particularly those that prize a female’s virginity or a male’s heterosexuality, may prevent victims from speaking out due to a fear of retribution or rejection from families.
Learning disabilities
Children and young people with a disability are three times more likely to be abused than children without a disability. Within this group, children with behaviour or conduct disorders are particularly vulnerable.
• Children and young people with disabilities are often over-protected and not informed about sex and relationships.
• The transition from children’s services into independent living is a particularly vulnerable time for young people with disabilities.
• Learning difficulties or delayed development may be a consequence of trauma or sexual abuse.
• A lack of diagnosis and assessment for learning disabilities can result in a child’s behaviour being misunderstood, and exclusion from school. This can lead to the child being vulnerable to CSE.
Boys and young men
• Societal values regarding masculinity and perceptions of males as perpetrators are seen to mask the fact that boys and young men can be victims too.
• Males seem to find it particularly hard to disclose abuse.
• Fear of being labelled gay, particularly in communities where there is homophobia, can prevent disclosure.
• There is too little recognition of the fact that a male can be both a victim and a perpetrator.
• Boys can be sexually exploited by peers, particularly in gang situations.
• Research has found that male and female CSE victims share certain common traits but also exhibit significant differences in terms of, for example, disability and youth offending rates.
• It might be assumed that young men engaging in sex are doing so because they are highly sexualised, gay or bisexual, and not because they are being exploited.