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Why Do Many Survivors Delay Talking About Child Abuse? It is estimated that the vast majority of male and female child abuse victims do not report abuse. Some survivors delay disclosure because they fear they will be threatened by their abuser, are worried they will not be believed or that they will be blamed and possibly punished, feel guilty and ashamed, or want to protect their families and sometimes the perpetrator. Other concerns include a feeling of responsibility for the abuse, a sense of confusion and betrayal because they were physically aroused by the abuse, difficulty in finding the right time to talk about the past, and an inability to recognize child abuse as abusive, perhaps because they were led to believe that it was normal. Survivors should be encouraged not to confuse the abnormality of the abuse with their own identity: the abuse was abnormal, but they are perfectly normal. Caregivers must make themselves more aware of symptoms exhibited by both male and female survivors. This knowledge will help families, doctors, teachers and protective service workers to identify and report alleged abuse to the proper authorities.
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