S1-Day 19: “God in Dirty Places: The Realities of a Female Child Sexual Abuse”

Sexual abuse is a criminal activity which, until recent times, has been covered by a society which did not have the courage to face it. The implications of widespread abuse are too unpleasant for most people to contemplate. Consequently, the whole area of child sexual abuse has been surrounded by a culture of silence and denial in the community, including the church. However, the society is hearing about child sexual abuse since from the past few years because many women are beginning to break the silence and tell about their experiences.

Girls and Sexual Abuse

Baker and Duncan suggest child sexual abuse as, “A child (anyone under sixteen years) is sexually abused when another person, who is sexually mature, involves the child in any activity which the other person expects to lead to their sexual arousal.”[i] It is a deliberate and planned misuse of power over children. It commonly involves or coexists with emotional abuse, because it violates the child’s deepest feelings and emotional development.[ii] Women are vulnerable to sexual abuse because of the power of men. Girls are even vulnerable to adult sexual abuse of power because they lack understanding and resources for self-protection.[iii] Even more disturbing is that, according to some study and even from the testimony I have come across so far, most sexual abuse perpetrated within families and by persons who are trusted by the child. So, in this time of pandemic when there is a nationwide lockdown, when help could not reach easily, I am terrified that many girls are in a vulnerable and desperate situation.

The Reality

I have encountered with some women who are sexually abuse as a child. Most of them told that it had been happened over many years and they did not have the courage to tell anyone fearing that they would be looked down. “I am dirty, I am different, I am damaged- and no one will believe me,” was how they usually felt at that time.  They lived with pain and humiliation, fear and distrust. They usually wonder whether there is a loving God out there for them.

God in Dirty Place: Theology and Abuse

The central image of Christ on the cross as the saviour of the world communicates the message of God who puts Godself in a dirty place and eventually becomes dirty. However, the point of the cross was not the suffering but the resurrection. The point was to transform suffering, not remain in it. We are to transform the suffering around us. We are supposed to turn a theology of suffering into a theology of empowerment and life.[iv] It is important to remind ourselves that God’s loving power is vulnerable to evil but not defeated by it. The God in dirty place is also the God in victory.

It is, therefore, our duty to reject the dehumanizing effects of sexual abuse and to project life with courage, hope, and love for God, self, and others. Most importantly, we should not only be familiar with the abuse of girls as a grave issue, but also acknowledge our role in addressing this problem that threatens the lives of many women and families in our society. We need to open our eyes and be sensitive toward the reality of child sexual abuse.

Prayer

Compassionate God, who loves and cares for all of your children, especially the smallest and most vulnerable, we entrust to you the lives of the many children who have been sexually abused, and whose trust and innocence have been destroyed. Help us to hear their pain and even the silent cry of victims and survivors and to take responsibility for so many broken lives. Amen

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Author: Dikteii Chawngthu

About the Author: Dikteii hails from Mizoram, India. She earned her Bachelor of Divinity from the Academy of Integrated Christian Studies (AICS, Aizawl) in 2014 and Master of Theology in the department of Christian Ministry from the United Theological College, Bangalore in 2017. She is currently pursuing her Doctoral Research in Pastoral Care and Counselling under SATHRI, Serampore.

References:

[i] Baker, A. and S. Duncan. “Child Sexual Abuse: A Study of Prevalence in Great Britain.” In Child Abuse and Neglect: The Family and the Community. Edited by R. Heller and Kempe. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger, 1976. 

[ii] Cashman, Hilary. Christianity and Child Sexual Abuse. Great Britain: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1993.

[iii] Poling, James Newton. The Abuse of Power: A Theological Problem. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1991.

[iv] Nienhuis, Nancy Eileen. “Theological Reflection on Violence and Abuse.” The Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling 59/1-2 (Spring-Summer, 2005): 120-134.