FOREWORD
Florence Rush
I never told anyone: Why is it that children who have been mo-
lested， sexually abused， or even raped rarely or never tell? They
never tell for the same reason that anyone who has been help-
lessly shamed and humiliated， and who is without protection or
validation of personal integrity， prefers silence. Like the woman
who has been raped， the violated child may not be believed (she
fantasized or made up the story)， her injury may be minimized
(there s no harm done， so let s forget the whole thing)， and she
may even be held accountable for the crime (the kid really asked
for it).
A growing child gains self-esteem and confidence from the
value placed upon her by adults whom she trusts and upon whom
she must depend. The sexually exploited child， however， rarely
elicits a reaction necessary to promote a positive identity. Unsup-
ported in her right to be protected， to be angry， or to express
justified indignation， she feels she deserves no more than to be
sexually used. To expose an incident is to expose her own insig-
nificance. To tell anyone is to be disgraced in her own eyes and
the eyes of others. The child victim has no recourse but to bury，
hide， and try to forget the experience. But the humiliation will
not go away. It festers， poisons and undermines her being. When
the offense remains hidden， unanswered and unchallenged， the
sexuality， the very biology of the offended child， becomes her
shame.
This destructive syndrome did not arise in a vacuum. It stems
from age-old traditions and customs that are written in history，
religion， law， and in today s powerful and influential media. In the
beginning of our Western civilization the female， along with a
house， ox， and ass， was a man s property. Specifically， she was a
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