Part 2:  Sexual and Reproductive Health Issues of Concern to Aboriginal People

Be sure to read Part 1 before working on this unit. See these other units for more issues related to child sexual abuse:

Unit 1 — Parenting
Unit 2 — Educating Children and Youth About Sexuality
Unit 11 — The Residential School Experience
Unit 15 — Family Violence
Unit 16 — Sexual Violence

Introduction

There are some people Who’ll say Don’t cry, cause That was yesterday There are others Who’ll question if it’s true But don’t worry, darling I believe in you.1 (click here for footnote)

Children look to the adults in their families and communities for protection and direction in life. When the community works together to create a safe environment, its children can grow into confident and healthy adults. Unfortunately, too many of our children are growing up in communities where they are sexually abused by people they know and trust.

Child sexual abuse has serious effects on the health and well-being of children, families, communities and nations. Children who are abused are filled with shame and often guilt, anger and a sense of betrayal. Research shows us that too often abuse in childhood can lead to a lack of self-respect and self-caring, alcohol and drug addictions, and violence toward others. Some survivors of abuse go on to abuse others. Families suffer from the secrecy, lack of trust, and the guilt and shame of sexual abuse. Communities are weakened by the fear and pain of their members.

Sexual abuse has a big impact on sexuality and sexual health. The majority of Aboriginal sex trade workers were sexually abused in childhood. There is other evidence that the emotional effects of sexual abuse can lead to serious health problems later in life. Young girls who were sexually abused are more likely to have many sexual partners, get sexually transmitted diseases and run an increased risk of cervical cancer as adults.² (click here for footnote)

Some of us see sexual abuse in Aboriginal communities as a sign of the imbalance and overall ill health experienced by Aboriginal people, resulting in part from our loss of culture and autonomy and the effects of residential schools on survivors and their families. As we rebuild our families, communities and nations, we must reject all forms of sexual abuse and violence, and return to honour and respect for all. As Aboriginal communities, we can protect our children and put survivors and abusers on the path to healing by raising awareness about child sexual abuse, helping kids disclose abuse by ensuring they and their families will get help, developing treatment programs and holding abusers accountable for their actions.

Childhood Memories

I was once a young child, although I find it very hard to remember the time. When I look back it seems that I grew up so quickly. The fears that I had were plenty. The stories that my friends tell me of their childhood and growing up years I cannot relate to. It’s strange, oh so strange, because neither can they. Although we are of the same age, our experiences are so different. They tell me it’s hard for them to accept mine, but as I assure them, it is not as difficult as it is for me to accept it.

I’ve been asked many times, since my growing up years, what it would have taken for me to stop and change the direction of my life. I believe that is easy for me to answer. All I would have needed back then was to feel love and be trusted. All I would have needed was for someone to hold me and care for me, and most of all, someone to believe in me. Nothing more than that.3 (click here for footnote) Sharon

The major barrier living in a northern community is that everyone knows everyone. People are intimidated by what people will think. They wouldn’t make the choice to tell about abuse like if they were living in the city where no one would know them. There are repercussions of telling you are abused or that you’ve been touched in a small community where everyone knows everyone.

In our community our Mayor was a pedophile. I guess I was lucky, I didn’t know anything about it. It took one person to bring it out 15 years later and everyone else is starting to come out about it now. Nobody ever said anything about it. The girl didn’t know if her mom or dad would believe her, or what the community would think. I mean here is this little Métis girl and the person who is the abuser is a prominent person in the community. I mean people might have thought that she asked for it, or there would have been judgment. Métis youth from a small Northern community

Cultural Teachings

If we look far enough back into the cultural past, most Aboriginal communities had specific taboos and warnings, proverbs and prescribed protocols (i.e., rules of behaviour), that told people how to behave, and what to avoid with respect to sexuality and gender relations. An example of this is found in rules that limit contact between in-laws in many nations. All cultures had boundaries for appropriate sexual behaviour. Promiscuity as defined by the cultures was not tolerated from either sex and incest was strictly forbidden. Rape was very uncommon and regarded as a serious offense, for which there were heavy consequences. Sexual acts between adults and children were prohibited as well.

... In summary, most tribes had clear boundaries and rules concerning sexual contact and, because the way of life that everyone lived supported and reinforced the rules, they were seldom broken. It was only as these support systems fell away, and the people began to stray from the old teachings, that sexual abuse became more common.4 (click here for footnote)

Responding to Child Sexual Abuse

Child sexual abuse is any kind of sexual activity with a child or using a child for sexual purposes (for example, posing for pornographic photos). It can take the form of using sexual language, sexual pictures or videos, showing private parts of the body, touching, masturbation, vaginal intercourse, and oral and anal sex.

All sexual abuse hurts a child in body, mind, emotions and spirit. Sexual abuse is always an abuse of power. Abusers will use tricks, threats, gifts or force to make the child do what they want.

Victims of sexual abuse find ways to cope with the pain they feel during and after the abuse. Sometimes they:

• make excuses for the abuser — "He was drunk, he didn’t know what he was doing"
• pretend it wasn’t that bad — "He only touched my breasts"
• pretend it never happened — "He never did that to me"
• hurt ourselves — to punish ourselves because we think the abuse is our fault
• use drugs and alcohol — to keep from thinking about or feeling the pain of the abuse⁵ (click here for footnote)

Sexual abuse in our past can have a direct impact on sexual health behaviour. For example, early trauma or shame can keep women and men from getting regular medical exams and from seeking out screening tests for breast, cervical and testicular cancer. See the sample tool Getting Through Medical Examinations for ways to help.

Disclosure of Abuse

Sexual abuse disclosure, whether at the time of the abuse or years later, can be a sensitive and potentially devastating event. There are many ways that helpers and services providers can help a person who tells them about sexual abuse.

Do:

• Give the individual your attention.
• Allow the person to express, in their own words, what happened to them.
• Respect the individual’s silences and acknowledge any anxiety, fear or anger that you feel from the client. Let them know that these feelings are normal and that it is good they are talking about them and feeling them.
• Inform the individual of the steps you feel you need to take to ensure their immediate safety and well-being.
• Know your community and work policies about reporting a disclosure.
• Make sure that you have someone appropriate to talk to and debrief with after the disclosure and the reporting of the abuse.

Do Not:

• Become so overwhelmed with your own feelings that the focus is now on you. Get support if needed.
• Promise to keep what they disclose secret. Let them know you will only inform those who need to know. Stress to them the need to inform others so we can all ensure their best possible care and safety.
• Rush their disclosure or dig too deeply into the abuse with the client.
• Leave them feeling hopeless or alone.⁶ (click here for footnote)
  
  
  

The following points are based on writings by Maggie Hodgson, Executive Director of The Nechi Institute, on addressing child sexual abuse in Aboriginal communities:

• To succeed in an Aboriginal community, programs must be community-based.
• Addressing substance abuse is a priority, but often reducing alcohol use results in more disclosures of abuse, so abuse treatment programs must be developed at the same time.
• Extended families are a great resource in our communities; however, sometimes conflicting loyalties to the abuser can result in abuse not being reported. Only by reporting abuse can abusers be treated, children healed and the cycle of abuse halted.
• Many Aboriginal communities, as a result of high rates of alcoholism, violence, death and other separations, are locked in a state of grief that prevents program development. Dealing with grief is an important first step in these communities.
• Programs must be set up on a basis of mutual respect and collective thought in the community.
• Communities affected by multiple charges of sexual abuse face particular challenges in getting beyond anger to healing.
• Caregivers cannot help others heal until they have begun the healing journey themselves.
• Workshops and treatment programs benefit from a spiritual or cultural component.⁷ (click here for footnote)
  
  
  

There are taboos in our communities which have more to do with sexual abuse than with morality. It’s important for children to see affectionate people kiss each other. It’s important for them to understand that affection does not necessarily mean sex. There is a lot of mistrust in our communities and we have become incapable of showing affection.8 (click here for footnote)

Pilot coordinator Julie says:
One of the easiest and most useful ways to use the Sourcebook is to share different sections and handouts with clients. For example, The Healing Stages of Child Sexual Abuse opened up discussions on issues that were part of the healing process for many people.
Julie Borle, Métis Child and Family Services Society, Edmonton, Alberta

¹  Part of the poem "A Song for a Child" in Sacred Lives: Canadian Aboriginal Children and Youth Speak Out About Sexual Exploitation, Cherry Kingsley and Melanie Mark, Save the Children Canada, Vancouver, 2000, preface.  (back to paragraph)

²  "Survivors of Sexual Abuse: Clinical, Lifestyle and Reproductive Consequences," T. Kue Young and Alan Katz, Canadian Medical Association Journal, 159(4) (August 1998): 332.  (back to paragraph)

³  The Spirit Weeps: Characteristics and Dynamics of Incest and Child Sexual Abuse, Tony Martens, with Brenda Daily and Maggie Hodgson, The Nechi Institute, Edmonton, 1988, preface.  (back to paragraph)

⁴  At the Time of Disclosure: A Manual for Front-line Community Workers Dealing with Sexual Abuse Disclosures in Aboriginal Communities, Judie Bopp and Michael Bopp, Solicitor General Canada, Ottawa, 1997, p. 11. Available at:  www.sgc.gc.ca/epub/Abocor/e199801/e19981.htm   (back to paragraph)

⁵  From Dark to Light: Regaining a Caring Community ("Child Sexual Abuse"), Status of Women Council of the NWT, Yellowknife, 1995, Handout 14.  (back to paragraph)

⁶  Dealing with Abuse in First Nations Communities, A Guide for Health Service Providers, Union of Ontario Indians Anishnabek Health Commission, North Bay, Ontario, 1998.  (back to paragraph)

⁷  The Spirit Weeps: Characteristics and Dynamics of Incest and Child Sexual Abuse, preface.  (back to paragraph)

⁸  Highlights of the Conference This is Dawn, Quebec Native Women, Montréal, 1996.  (back to paragraph)