I know I was only five years old, but I was an extremely intelligent five-year-old. I should have been able to figure out a way to escape. Victims often believe they are to blame for being sexually abused. Many adult survivors continue to hold this belief. Although large numbers of children and adolescents are abused, it is never the fault of any of them.

Yet there are many reasons why survivors assume that blame. Some survivors were told explicitly that it was their fault. The abuser said: "You're a bad, nasty, dirty girl. That's why I'm doing this." "You really want this to happen. I know you do." "You're such a sexy little girl. I just can't help myself." You were punished when someone did find out. If you said anything, you may have been told you made up horrible lies. Or the subject was never discussed, giving you the message that it was too terrible to talk about. Your religion may have told you that you were a sinner, unclean, damned to hell. You may have become convinced......

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Title: Understanding That It Wasn'T Your Fault
Approximate Word Count: 2123
Approximate Pages: 9 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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