Research Paper on Sexual Abuse, Poverty, and Its Devastating Effects

Introduction

Sexual abuse or violence and poverty are usually highly linked in a manner that no one can deny it. This is usually true since sex abuse can always interfere with the economic status of an individual resulting in numerous tragedies such as mental health issues, academic underperformance, health issues, stress and depression, homelessness, and even cause unemployment to the victims (Greco, Donna, and Sarah Dawgert). Usually, the lack of basic needs is what is associated with poverty many a time; thus, a life without these needs being satisfied always increases the chances of a person engaging in sexual abuse. Victims of sexual abuse usually involve themselves in the wrongful act due to their poor financial statuses so as to meet their daily needs (essential). Therefore, a perpetrator of sexual abuse will always target such persons regardless of their race, gender, disability, age, income, immigration statuses, sexual orientation, among other reasons.

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Sexual abuse is very much related to poverty, and that poverty could be, if not the primary cause, among the leading causes of sexual violence. Thus, while dealing with sexual abuse, whether in its management, control, or prevention, economic advocacy is of ultimate essence. Economic advocacy, in this case, aims at addressing a majority of the social injustices while seeking justice for victims of sexual violence, especially the rape cases reported (Greco, Donna, and Sarah Dawgert). Therefore, the advocates involved in social justice relating to poverty and sexual abuse must always take into consideration economic advocacy as a guideline towards all prevention and intervention measures possible.

However, economic advocacy will not always suit all the victims of sexual violence with the reasoning that there is no perfect system that will fit every individual or a group of people. For this reason, there is a need to listen to the victims of sexual abuse and evaluate each person's experience so as to find and settle on a lasting solution. This will not only be effective to the victims only but also the survivors and the communities involved. For these reasons, there is a need and necessity to carry out a thorough insight into sexual abuse issues, how to prevent and intervene, and also, how poverty and sexual violence relate entirely. Moreover, there is still a need to formulate strategies and principle that will act as a guideline for advocates in the same field. The purpose of this research is, therefore, concerned with the definition of both sexual abuse and poverty, how the two are intertwined, intervention and prevention measure, and finally, a conclusion that addresses both issues.

Definitions

In an attempt to define what sexual abuse or violence is, there are numerous facts and things that must be taken into consideration including the society we are living in due to the differences in cultures, individuals' perspectives, social, political and economic statuses (Greco, Donna, and Sarah Dawgert). For instance, the circumstances involving acts like rape might lead to a unique definition of sexual violence as opposed to any other case. Victims of rape might have their own perspectives, experience, and so define sexual abuse in a different stand-point.

Therefore, sexual abuse has to do with a culture of rape relating to myths such as inequities, attitudes, messages, beliefs, as well as deeds perpetuating sexual aggression and abuse (Greco, Donna, and Sarah Dawgert). For this reason, the contexts that revolve around sexual abuse include the following.

• Sexism.
• Racism.
• Ableism.
• Heterosexism.
• Ageism.
• Classism.

Several institutions have come up with definitions of sexual abuse or violence, including health organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO). According to WHO, sexual violence is any sexual act or effort aimed at committing a sexual act, or comments towards unwanted sex or advances, or use of coercion against the sexuality of someone, and that it can be committed by anyone without consideration to how they relate with the victim, and it could be anywhere, whether at work or a home setting (Greco, Donna, and Sarah Dawgert).

Sexual abuse thus relates and involves a series of actions including child sexual abuse, birth control restrictions, and diseases, abortions (sterilization), sex exploitations, incest, sex trafficking, indecent exposures, rape cases, sexual harassments, voyeurism, ritual abuses among other wrongful sexual acts (Greco, Donna, and Sarah Dawgert).

Poverty, on the other hand, has to do and relate to how basic needs are met by either an individual, a community, or a society as a whole. For this reason, poverty can be defined as the lack or insufficiency of meeting the basic needs either individually or as a family. Therefore, while defining poverty, there should be an exclusion of the private and public support and instead focus on the inadequacy to consistently meet basic needs. For example, in the year 2006, according to the census carried out by the United States (US), a family comprising of four members was regarded as being poor based on the federal standards of poverty if at all the average of their annual income was $20, 614 and below (Bureau).

However, economic advocacy advocates have come out to question and claim the federal standards of rating poverty are too low to cover and include the entity of poverty such as the individuals who earn more than the set poverty figure but are still not able to meet their daily basic needs (Greco, Donna, and Sarah Dawgert). Moreover, thresholds do not take into account factors such as the costs of living, healthcare costs, childcare, and housing costs, which vary from location to location, town to town, city to city. For this reason, it is fair to claim that the poverty standards are outdated and do not actually fit the current generation since they were temporarily set in another error, that is in 1963 & 1964, a time when food was cheaper and costs of living were low (Greco, Donna, and Sarah Dawgert).

Therefore, poverty need be defined based on the basic need approach; thus, self-sufficiency since with this, the costs of living, healthcare, housing, food, childcare, taxes, transport among other expenses are addressed as opposed to the federal poverty thresholds; thus depicting and illustrating poverty as a whole (Greco, Donna, and Sarah Dawgert). For such an approach, anyone who's not able to meet their basic needs sufficiently without any public or private assistance is considered as poor; thus, the approach of self-sufficiency covers a broad range of poverty including all people who are struggling to meet their basic needs despite earning huge amounts of money. Some would still argue that poverty is a situation where there is a lack of alternatives or options, at the same time, some will define it as a condition where a person has a need they cannot meet. Both of these definitions are valid since they are based on a basic need approach.

Experiencing sexual abuse and poverty does not necessarily mean a person will come out as a victim and poor, respectively. There are cases where people come out as survivors of the wrongful act committed to them and so live only to get stronger and as a motivator to others who might be affected or perceive the situation as evil. For this reason and many others, there is always the shift of the blame to the victims and survivors of poverty and sexual abuse. For instance, according to William Ryan, in America, any persons who highly depend on their salaries and wages, and does not have any other alternative source of wealth or income, is considered poor, thus a victim of the same (Greco, Donna, and Sarah Dawgert). Also, poverty is perceived and thought as a lack of cash (money) at hand. He further elaborates on how poverty and racism are problematic when it comes to shifting the blame on the victim.

The society is always at the epicenter of either ignoring or dismissing the issues related to poverty and sexual abuse. For this reason, there is often a stigma that victims and survivors of sexual violence and poverty face which not only affects their self-esteem and social status but also they end up not receiving quality services that they deserve. Therefore, the victims and survivors go through lots of challenges that can only add up to their poverty, such as being oppressed and abused just to end up having, among others, social struggles. Usually, victims of sexual abuse, such as rape, are re-victimized as to being the cause of the act by either annoying their attackers or by first abusing them. Thus, rape victims end up being perceived as irresponsible, mentally-ill, drug abuse victims, promiscuous, indecisive, liars, seducers, among other terms that might be falsely imposed on them.

Usually, poor and sexually abused victims are stigmatized, marginalized, and oppressed in their own communities. Blames are often put on the victims such that they are no longer able to defend themselves or even come out clearly on the matter; this only leads to the victims hiding and staying in silence while going through pain and struggles in life. The stigma placed on the persons involved is what brings up an interesting relationship between sexual abuse and poverty. Not only is the blame shifted on the sexually abused victims but also to the poor, such that, persons living in poverty experience discriminations such as being described as unfocused, helpless, fools, not innovative, dependent on others, lazy, lacking proper skills and rationale, among other allegations.

Despite the fact that there are always societal risk factors that relate to poverty, personal traits or characteristics and behaviors cannot result in sexual abuse or poverty. Therefore, poverty and sexual violence are not hereditary, such that they are not passed from one generation to another within a particular community or family. For instance, rape should never be explained based on individual characteristics or choices. Instead, sexual abuse and poverty should be described based on structural and systematic oppression and disparities that perpetuate the two societal issues (sexual violence and poverty).

The oppressions and disparities are common in the United States (US), the most vulnerable groups into children, persons of color, women, ethnic minorities, and also the communities that are isolated due to their locations such as in rural and inner cities. Therefore, when dealing with matters of sexual violence and poverty, it is necessary and vital that economic advocacy advocates take into account the victims' or survivors' opinions, perspectives, and experiences of oppression before shifting the blame on anyone involved.

Issues relating to sexual violence and poverty can be so complex that advocates might find it hard to handle on many occasions. However, several guidelines can help combat the whole issue and are highlighted as follows so that economic advocacy can be useful.

1. Deal with complexity without simplifying the societal problems (sexual violence and poverty).
2. Analyze and evaluate the risk factors, including protective features from personal, relationship, community, to society levels.
3. Get relevant knowledge relating to historical disparities and oppressions in sexual violence and poverty as well as current trends and how they perpetuate and influence the social problem.
4. Judge the victims from a positive perspective, such as their strengths, cultures, barriers, environment, as well as their opinions and experiences related to such social problems.
5. You should be as neutral as possible, such that, never base on assumptions on how certain groups of people act or relate it to your own experience as it is not always the case.
6. Do not classify people as "others" and instead focus on addressing each issue as it is and each individual involved.
7. Always take...