Recently the India Times reported a sharp increase in rapes in India. ” Incest rape cases have increased by 30.7%from 309 cases in 2008 to 404 cases in 2009 as compared to 0.3% decrease in overall rape cases. Crime experts say the highest number of rapes in the country is incest rapes,although they are often not reported”
When is an increase not…
So is this an actual increase, or is it an increase in awareness? As people become more aware the number of reported cases often goes up. Several years ago a local school district tried to be proactive in identifying sexually abused children, so they started asking kids questions. The number of reported sexual assaults went way up. The negative press prompted a disappointing solution to the problem – stop asking. The program went away, and the number of sexual assaults reported went down.
This school district continues to have one of the highest dropout and delinquency rates in the state. It also has a high mortality rate before age 25. The abuse hasn’t gone way, it just manifests in another way. And the cost to the community is high. I can only wonder what would be happening if the program had continued and the community had dealt with the abuse that was actually happening.
Let us know if we can help you dealing with your family’s sexual abuse situation. For ideas to get started please check out our book on what to do during the early days after disclosure.
