Ritual abuse: Definition. Evidence.
Ritual abuse can be defined as organised sexual, physical, and psychological abuse, which can be systematic and sustained over a long period of time. It involves the use of rituals, with or without a belief system. It usually involves more than one person as abusers. Ritual abuse usually starts in early childhood and involves using patterns of learning and development to sustain the abuse and silence the abused.
Most sexual abuse of children is ritualised. Abusers use repetition, routine and ritual to force children into the patterns of behaviour they require, to instil fear and ensure silence, thus protecting themselves. Sexual abuse of a child is seldom a random act: it usually involves the abusers in thorough planning and preparation beforehand.
Some abusers organise themselves in groups to abuse children and adults in a more formally ritualised way. Men and women in these groups can be abusers with both sexes involved in all aspects of the abuse. Some groups use complex rituals to terrify, silence and convince victims of the tremendous power of the abusers.
Some abusers organise themselves round a religion or faith and the teaching and training of the children within this faith, often takes the form of severe and sustained torture and abuse.
Ritualised child sexual abuse is about abuse of power, control and secrecy. Ten years ago many people found it difficult to believe that fathers actually raped their children, yet survivors of such abuses spoke out and eventually began to be listened to and believed. Ritual abuse survivors, when they try to speak out about their experiences, face denial and disbelief from society and often fear for their lives from the abusers.
People are always demanding evidence of the existence of ritual abuse so that they can believe more readily that it happens or deny its existence more rigorously. Unfortunately, the abusers do not usually proof lying about for others to find. They do not want the world to know what they are doing and therefore do their best to carefully dispose of evidence.
The existence of survivors is the best evidence there can possibly be of the existence of something. If there were no abuse, there would be no survivors. When survivors who live hundreds of miles apart and do not know one another, can talk about similar events and happenings, surely this is proof. Survivors hold the key to much of what goes on and could, if listened to, reveal a great deal.
Many attempts are made to discredit survivors, yet still many try to talk. All these survivors are either suffering from a strange mass delusion, have all been fed the same false memories, have all watched videos and internalised stuff, have all read the same books on the subject; or they are telling the truth. Surely, either way, these people should be listened to and given help.
That ritual abuse happens, is an unfortunate reality, part of the problem is that people find it hard to believe that it can be on their own doorstep and be as prevalent as the growing number of survivors who are coming to light would indicate. Time will reveal more and more evidence, but if people reject the very existence of something, they will never notice the evidence or see the survivors. Only time, and a coherent attempt to gather all evidence and facts will reveal more of the truth of what survivors are currently trying to say.
Other articles about ritual abuse.
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Healing Our Past Experiences
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