Mythbusters about children
Unfortunately there are a lot of myths about children and sexual assault and family violence. It’s important to break through these and get to the facts.
Myth – “Kids lie about incest”
Fact – Children don’t lie about sexual assault. It is common for kids to be scared to talk about sexual assault and to think they will get into trouble, or something bad will happen if they do.
What is incest?
Incest is when penetration takes places between family members. Under law this means parents, children, stepparents, brothers, sisters, stepbrothers and stepsisters, and grandparents. If there is no penetration, then this is called indecent assault.
Myth – “Children are seductive”
Fact – Children are not seductive. Children show love and affection to the people they are close to.
Myth – “Incest only happens in dysfunctional (unsupportive) families”
Fact – Incest can occur in any family, from any background.
Myth – “Incest between brothers and sisters is not harmful”
Fact – Sexual curiosity is normal as children develop. Children’s sexual behaviours are considered a problem when there are differences in age, strength, and maturity between children. It is harmful when one child forces another child to take part in sexual behaviours. Any sexual behaviour involving penetration is considered incest and is against the law.
For more informationFor more information about this or to contact the South Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault go to the SECASA website. |
