Incestuous Abuse: A Comment

Abstract

Sexual abuse of children is an issue shrouded in ignorance and denial in our country. One of the chief reasons for this conspiracy of silence is the high value, almost idealization, of the family. The failure to protect the child is often seen as a strong indictment of the particular family's care taking function and an indelible blot on its reputation. This is especially so if the abuser happens to be a family member, which is often the case. Yet sexual abuse of children is a particularly serious offence. Of the three categories of sexual offences; offences against accepted standards of family life, offences which display the normal sexual drive in a distorted or unacceptable manner and offences which display a perverted sexual drive, sexual abuse here belongs to both the first two categories. The offence is even more serious if the abuser happens to be a parent or relative.