PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF SEXUAL ABUSE ON CHILD VICTIMS – A CRITICAL ANALYSIS
AUTHOR – MR. GAURAV KUMAR* & MS. PRACHI PRIYA**
* ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, SCHOOL OF LAW, IILM UNIVERSITY, GREATER NOIDA. EMAIL – GAURAV.KUMAR@IILM.EDU
** LL.M. STUDENT AT IILM UNIVERSITY, GREATER NOIDA. EMAIL – PRACHIPRIYASINGH40@GMAIL.COM
BEST CITATION – MR. GAURAV KUMAR & MS. PRACHI PRIYA, PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF SEXUAL ABUSE ON CHILD VICTIMS – A CRITICAL ANALYSIS, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 5 (8) OF 2025, PG. 763-770, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344
ABSTRACT
The aftermath of sexual molestation results in physical, emotional and mental affliction on a child. This article aims to focus on the mental trauma undergone by children who are victims of sexual abuse. The dynamic research in this field suggests that there are long-term harmful consequences of childhood sexual abuse on an individual’s emotional well-being and overall psychic health. It is a growing evil in the society, which represents a ‘harrowing abuse of power’, trust, and authority with far-reaching imputation for the victims. In depth research revealed the percentage in which 66.0% children were ‘mentally disturbed’ due to sexual abuse, 5.2% of children were mildly emotionally ‘disturbed’, and only 24.0% of the victims remained mentally stable after facing the sexual abuse. The harsh result is the scar on the mind, the fear of the abuser and also the overall trauma disrupts the growth and overall well-being of a child.
The adverse effect of these heinous crimes is examined with regard to the general impact on the early-life traumatic experiences, as a trigger of particular infective mechanisms, to gain understanding of the long-term implications on the victim’s psychology. The impacts on the victims “psychological well-being”, including short-term consequences, i.e., isolation, low self-esteem, extreme fear, stress, anxiety, and “post-traumatic stress disorder”. Long-term effects enclose disrupted intimate relationships, social and emotional health issues, and more. The lack of a definitive number of implications, highlight the need to discuss and raise awareness about child sexual abuse which is important for parents, guardians, and concerned authorities to effectively counteract these heinous crimes against children and creating a safe environment for them to live securely[1].
[1] Website: indianpsychiatricsociety.org