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the HERALD Wednesday August Zl Community Pgel7 Family violence Community must be aware of warning signals ByJACIEB PALMER Herald Special I read with interest a letter to the editor regarding The Heralds coverage of family violence cases and in part this reader states I really do not think if is fair to the names of persons accus ed or convicted of sexual assaults what about the vic tims and their families This view is totally untenable in to days society As a resident of this community I want to know who the perpetrators of assaults are I dont care whether it is domestic violence or sexual assault I want to ensure that my family and myself are not negatively im by these abusers The fact that members of the public are aware of an abusers deviant behavior will help to ensure this person does not repeat his acts of violence Members of our com have a right to know if they live next door to a man or woman convicted of sexual assault They have a right to pro tect their own family and an obligation as neighbors to help protect the victims of violence A longheld belief that violence should be kept within the family is outdated today In fact sup pression and sublimation of acts of violence has longlasting ef fects on victims There are documented cases of childhood victims of incest who in their senior years through therapy have come to realize they were sexually abused as children Certainly people dont like the general public to become aware of their family life and related problems but this secrecy further compounds the psychological and emotional stress placed on vie In looking at child victims of abuse we only need to look to our school systems which have documented increasing violence directed against teachers in the Graduate Clifford Brilton son of and graduated in from receiving his Honors Outdoor Recreation and Bachelor f Science in Natural Science Degrees He was also awarded the Dean Medal for ihe standing in the Outdoor Run lion graduating class He will be attending University this fall for one year obtain his Bachelor of Education Certificate Congratulations Cliff from Dad Mom Jim and Jan and Mike and Cathy form of unprovoked attacks resulting in broken and damaged furniture and teachers being bruised kicked and bitten Even at the Junior Kindergarten level there is an in crease in abusive and destructive tantrums This violence is brought to school from poor role models with few parenting skills and continues to affect our children throughout their school Parents themselves are often victims of family violence While disclosure of childhood sexual abuse 15 traumatic for the victim is it any better that the child develop multiple per sonalities to overcome this atrocity Split personalities are a mechanism children may develop to deal with the issue of incest and reduce the stress caused them By developing a stronger self they can handle the situation easier Often victims of assault feel they are re victimized by the investigation itself They need to find support and are unable to ob tain the support they need by hiding the secret within the fami ly In short they should talk to peers who can be supportive to their needs Long term counsell ing is also necessary to ensure complete recovery We as adults do well in in forming children about sexual abuse They know the signs but when confronted with the act oc curring within our family or to a friend we cannot deal effectively with victims feelings Often we ignore their need to talk or we tell the victim not to think about the violence rather than having the issue confronted openly and honestly Parents may ignore the situation because they are un comfortable or because they are economically dependent upon the abuser In cases like this the de viant behavior may continue unabated for years Symptoms of childhood sexual abuse include aggressive behavior escape into fantasy worlds massive weight change poor peer relationships fear of males talk of running away displaying sexual knowledge in appropriate for their age and discussion of suicide Overt signals include torn stained or clothing difficulty in walking or sitting and expeneric abdominal paw The community must accept the fact this violence occurs and maintain a vigilant watch to en sure victims are protected This can only happen through knowledge and increased levels of awareness of the levels of violence in our own community Endnote Information provided from Federation of Women Teachers Associations of On tario Newsletter Jan91 AT OUR NEW LOCATION CELEBRATION DRAW PRIZES COME IN a ENTER TO WIN I Colour Television Complete With Remote Stabilo Nylon Travel Bag Water Colours Berol Pencil Set FREE START RITE II kit WITH ANY SMITH CORONA TYPEWRITER PURCHASE FURNITURE SPECIALS ALL KORECTYPE RIBBONS 10 OFF OSULt KITS ROLLTOP DESK KIT Reg SALE MOBILE COMPUTER SALE COMPUTER CART Rg SALE SCHOOL SPECIALS COIL BOOKS PAGES REG V 3 30 ART SUPPLIES 15 OFF TYPING PAPER 500 Drop your business card in our special draw 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