Damage to victims

Lutheran Community Services in Spokane provides treatment and support to more than 2,500 victims and their families each year.

Victims arrive bearing the physical and psychological wounds of this assault.

Here’s a list of symptoms they may display, depending on their age:

Emotional pain: Guilt, fear, self-blame, powerlessness, inability to say “no” to others, lack of trust, low self-esteem, shame, anxiety, emotional shutdown or numbing, loneliness, perfectionism, disassociation, depression, addiction, eating disorders, suicidal thoughts, gestures or attempts.

Physical pain: Physical damage from the assault, stomachaches, headaches, nausea, cramping, flinching or withdrawing from touch, feeling repulsed by their own body, sleep disturbances, nightmares, sexually transmitted disease.

Relationship disorders: Difficulty giving or receiving affection, overvaluing or devaluing relationships, fear of commitment, self-imposed isolation or neediness, unconsciously seeking other abusive relationships.

Behavior disorders: Risk-taking and impulsivity, difficulty concentrating in school, drug or alcohol abuse.

Sexual symptoms: Resentment about their own sexual response betraying them, difficulty differentiating between affection and sexual intimacy, inappropriately seeking sexual gratification.

A U.S. Department of Justice report in 1997 estimated the cost of these crimes, aside from legal fees, at $99,000 for each instance of child sexual abuse and $87,000 per incident for rape and sexual assault. These figures included loss of productivity and quality of life as well as the costs of medical care, mental health care, police services, and social victim services.

Source: Lutheran Community Services; U.S. Department of Justice