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CSA, or Child Sexual Abuse, is one horrific crime that ruins people’s lives from the moment it occurs. And unfortunately for CSA Survivors, this crime leaves some irreversible damage in all areas of their lives. 

Although this article is written to educate specifically teenagers about CSA by defining what it means to be a CSA Survivor, the information found here is intended to help whoever is looking to prevent and stop this despicable act/crime from happening to their loved ones.

According to Courageous Survivors, an individual who was sexually abused as a child is an adult survivor of childhood sexual abuse (CSA).

Let’s pray before we continue:

“Father God, I pray that Your hand will be on every single person reading this article. I pray that the blood of Jesus Christ will protect them.

May Your Holy Spirit be the only Spirit present whenever someone reads this article. Holy Spirit, I pray that You will take over and control the atmosphere. It’s in Jesus’ mighty name that I pray, and I thank You, Father God, for doing it already. Amen!”

Before we go in-depth about who CSA survivors are, let’s first take a look at what is CSA (Child Sexual Abuse).

*Warning: This article contains details about Child Sexual Abuse that might get some people upset or feel uncomfortable.

Child sexual abuse

RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) defines Child sexual abuse as a form of child abuse that includes sexual activity with a minor. A child cannot consent to any form of sexual activity, period.

When a perpetrator engages with a child this way, they commit a crime that can have lasting effects on the victim for years.

This topic is so taboo that seeing how often this despicable crime happens worldwide is unfortunate. And yet, the sad part is that in many cultures, it remains unpunished and unheard of.

If this is your first time doing some research about Child Sexual Abuse, it may have a different definition due to cultural background. Hopefully, by reading this article, you will be fully aware of the basics you need to know to protect yourself and others against CSA.

So some forms of child sexual abuse include (but are not limited to):

• Sex trafficking

• Intercourse

• Child pornography

• Dirty conversations

• Exposing oneself to a minor

• Caressing and touching a minor in a sexual way

• Masturbation in front of a child or forcing a child to masturbate

• And any sexual activity involving a minor

The warning signs

This section contains warning signs that someone caring for a minor/child should look for. As mentioned earlier, not many cultures feel comfortable discussing Taboo subjects like this one because of their upbringings.

Although all CSA Survivors don’t necessarily exhibit the same signs, not knowing what warning signs one should be aware of only increases the risk of CSA in your life and your loved ones.

Common warning signs: 

• Pain in the private parts

• Difficulty walking or sitting

• Periodic Urinary Tract Infection in Girls

• Soiled underwear or clothes (torn or bloody)

• Bruises, bleeding, or swelling of the child’s private parts

• Bowel movement issues in boys (hard time using the bathroom)

Now that we talked about different warning signs, the following point we are going to focus on is how to identify an abuser or perpetrator.

Perpetrators of Child sexual abuse

Studies prove that 93 percent of minor victims know their abuser. Perpetrators can be Men or Women, and they often seek victims from their own environment.

A perpetrator can be a relative, caregiver, clergy, playmate, teacher, friend, neighbor, or any person in the child’s life.

Here are some of the red flags someone should pay closer attention to:

• The perpetrators would lie to the child that the activity is normal.

• They would threaten the child to harm their family if they ever told on them.

• A perpetrator would offer candies, toys, or any treat to buy their victims’ silence.

• Perpetrators tend to be closer, more friendly, or more comfortable around little kids than their peers.

• Abusers can manipulate or intimidate their victims by forcing them to stay quiet about sexual abuse.

• Isolation is the number one key, making the victim easy prey. So, the abuser would single out one kid from a group of kids. For instance, the abuser would take one kid at a time for ice cream instead of three or five kids simultaneously.

• If a family member, neighbor, or friend stays at the victim’s house, the abuser would ask the victim to hang out with them when no one else is watching. For instance, a 15-year-old boy often asked his 6-year-old cousin to sleep in his room.

Now that we know what kind of red flags we should look out for, let’s see the aftermath consequences CSA Survivors experience throughout their lives. 

*Note: Most of the information above can be found in Child Sexual Abuse and Sexual Assault of Men and Boys by RAINN.

Aftermath consequences

Different studies have been done throughout the last decades to prove how CSA Survivors experience mental illness and psychological issues due to the trauma they went through. 

Here are some of the aftermath consequences found in those studies: 

Immediate effects

• Shame

• Isolation

• Nightmares

• Anger issues

• Bed-wetting

• Sleep disruptions

• Suicidal thoughts

• Commit self-harm

• Dislike physical touch

• Sudden change in appetite

• Fear/Anxiety/Phobias/distress

• Teen pregnancy caused by the CSA

• Overprotective of younger siblings

• Excessive sexual knowledge or behavior

• Victims would become highly aggressive and antisocial behavior.

• The child would get into many fights and conflicts with schoolmates or siblings.

• Returns to regressive behaviors (immature ways of talking, thumb sucking)

• Change in hygiene routines, such as avoiding showers or taking multiple showers a day

Long-term effects include:

• Shame

• Self-blame

• Depression

• Trust issues

• Isolation tendencies

• Run away from home.

• Poor/Low self-esteem

• Post-traumatic stress disorder

• Experience a sense of betrayal.

• Substance abuse (drug abuse and heavy drinking)

• Confusion about their gender identity or sexual orientation

• Self-destructive behavior (Cutting, suicidal attempts)

• Difficulties at school (nonattendance or dropping out)

• Girls victims might despise all women/girls, including themselves.

• Teenage girls victims would get married earlier to escape the abuse.

• Parenting issues and have a hard time showing affection toward their children.

• Adult women victims have issues when it comes to relating to both men and women.

• Incest victims (girls) experience a lot of hate/resentment toward their mothers; however, they might be less resentful toward the abuser.

• Some CSA Survivors (women) might be afraid of their boyfriends or husbands, and others might despise or fear getting married.

• Feeling guilt after telling someone about the abuse (disclosure)

• Revictimization tendency (repeated exposure to sexual abuse throughout the victim’s lifetime/ putting the victim at a higher risk of being sexually assaulted again in the future)

• And much more 

Note: Most of the information provided above can be found in the Christian Book “Gay Awareness” by Pastor Landon Schott.

Aftermath consequences found in Boys. 

Growing up, I had never heard that boys could also go through Child Sexual Abuse. Talking about little girls getting sexually abused is so unwelcome in my African culture. Therefore, hearing about boys undergoing the same thing is unheard of and unknown.

If your cultural background is similar to mine, let this article help you understand in-depth the amount of damage these abuses leave in Male CSA Survivors from the moment they happen.

RAINN wrote an article about the consequences found in Men and boys who were sexually assaulted. The article explains that Men and boys face additional challenges due to social attitudes and stereotypes about men and masculinity.

Males go through consequences such as:

• Flashbacks

• Being tense

• Fear of the future

• Feeling like they are not manly enough

•  They believe that they have a short life span.

• Withdrawal from others

• Disturbed about disclosure for fear of disbelief

Note: The information above is from the same article by RAINN

From the beginning of this article, we have discussed CSA Survivors and all the red flags we need to be aware of to protect ourselves and our loved ones better.

Since this entire Website focuses on bringing hope to CSA Survivors using the Gospel of Christ, it would be a shame to end without sharing an encouraging message with them.

And the good news is this:

You are not what happened to you.

After reading all this information, you might agree that some consequences of the aftermath define or represent your current identity. Because, let’s face it, only by God’s grace a few CSA Survivors might not have experienced half of these consequences.

Although CSA Survivors is a formal term to identify adult victims of Child Sexual abuse for reasonable purposes, it does not mean it should be your identity because nobody should have to carry a label that explains what they have done in their past or what has happened to them. 

For instance, if someone used to struggle against substance abuse and after celebrating twenty-plus years of sobriety, it would be unfair if people still call or label that person “the drunk” or “the addict.”

Today, let God assure you that you are His Son or Daughter regardless of how you see yourself. Listen as He tells you that you are not what happened to you. And all the aftermath issues you still struggle against don’t bother Him because He only sees the person He created in His image and nothing more.

And if the enemy (Satan) keeps telling you that you are what happened to you, let the message from this story below teach you how to respond to his accusations each time it happens. 

Note: If you want to see how God can restore your life, read this post: “God will give you what you lost, ” where I wrote about God’s purpose for our lives.

How to respond to the enemy’s accusations

There is a very encouraging story in Isaiah 36 and Isaiah 37 that can teach you how to respond when the enemy throws accusations at you. It’s about when the Kingdom of Assyria attacked the Kingdom of Judah.

Judah’s king, Hezekiah, was afraid and discouraged by the many threats the Assyrian king threw at him and his people. For a second, Hezekiah believed those threats. And he thought God wouldn’t rescue him from his enemy. 

Eventually, after King Hezekiah prayed to the LORD and begged Him to rescue the kingdom of Judah, God answered his request. That same night, the angel of the LORD visited the Assyrian camp and killed thousands and thousands of Assyrian soldiers. The kingdom of Judah didn’t have to fight against its enemies; the good news is that the LORD God fought on their behalf.

Now, let this illustration show you how to respond whenever the enemy tells you that you are what happened to you. And may this be your story from this day forward. Whenever the enemy attacks you with endless lies, scream back at him all the promises God gave you about you being His child.

Questions from this story 

In the story we just talked about, there are a few questions the Assyrian king sent to King Hezekiah and his kingdom as a threat. As you read these questions, you can see the similarity in the many questions the enemy (the devil) throws at you often regarding your identity.

Here are those questions:

"Then the Assyrian king's chief of staff told them to give this message to Hezekiah: "This is what the great king of Assyria says: What are you trusting in that makes you so confident?

What God of any nation has ever been able to save its people from my power? So what makes you think that the LORD can rescue Jerusalem from me?"

Isaiah‬ ‭36‬:‭4‬, ‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Today, the enemy of your soul (satan) might be whispering these same questions to you.

You see, you lived a life full of dysfunctional habits and behaviors for years. And often, you wonder about the root cause of all these chaotic and unsafe environments you constantly find yourself in.

Today, I hope the LORD has given you this answer so you can discover the root cause of why you often find yourself in so much darkness.

Deep in your heart, you desire to stop running towards drugs, heavy drinking, and ungodly/toxic relationships as your way of numbing the pain. And you are pretty much aware of how these codependency tendencies leave you drained and insecure.

Now that you understand why your life has been so chaotic and its root cause, you may wonder how to respond when the enemy threatens you.

I pray that the Holy Spirit will give you the supernatural power to always remember the answers He is giving you today.

From this day forward, tell the enemy these words whenever he asks you:

Respond this way

1. "What are you trusting in that makes you so confident?"

• I am trusting in the LORD my God because He is the One who fights for my battles. 

• What makes me so confident is believing the truth that He tells me. He tells me I am His child, and I know it’s true. Because He is not a man for Him to lie, and He is not a human for Him to change His mind.

• Every day, He displays in my spirit a version of me that I have never seen before. Giving me hope for the future. And I long to become that person (healed, refined, and perfected by God).

• My confidence is found in believing that His purpose for me is to give me a rich and satisfying life. Therefore, He is exposing all the root causes of why I have been living an ungodly lifestyle. And today, I am choosing to cling to Him for good.

• Today, He is taking away all these chains that have been keeping me bound to substance abuse, alcoholism, a sexually immoral lifestyle, and all these ungodly behaviors I still struggle with caused by CSA.

• And I know the best is yet to come.

2. "What God of any nation has ever been able to save its people from my power? So what makes you think that the LORD can rescue you from me?"

• Because the Bible tells me so, from the beginning to the end, His Word shows me that He will never forsake or abandon me. If I cling to Him and do not let go, I will be saved.

• Although I am still a miracle in process, I believe that the person I am becoming is living proof that God is the Redeemer of humanity.

• By the renewal of my mind, He is turning my whole life upside down, leaving nothing behind. Also, He has already rescued me from the enemy the day Jesus Christ nailed all my sins on that Cross at Golgotha.

Conclusion

Today, we discussed what CSA Survivors mean. And we saw how to spot an abuser/perpetrator and how to pay close attention to warning signs and red flags.

If you are a CSA Survivor experiencing some aftermath consequences, let your life be renewed by God from this day on.  

Now that you know all of this information, what’s next? If you are not a follower of Christ, the next step is to give your life to Him and start living a holy,set apart/consecrated lifestyle. 

“LORD, help me understand Your plans.” is the article you could read that will show you how to give your life to Jesus.

To learn more about my story, please visit the post: “My Salvation Story.”

As you embrace what God says about you today, let this song, Champion by Dante Bowe, give you confidence in holding on to what God says is true.

May the LORD my God meet you in the middle and walk you into the next season of your life. In Jesus’ mighty name, I pray. Amen.

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