Contact: AnnaMarie Cantrell, 864-504-5616, Anna@CaptiveInkMedia.com
GREENVILLE, S.C., Feb. 28, 2018 /Christian Newswire/ -- The following is submitted by Linda Gibson, author of Through Tears and Sugar Cubes: A Guide to Healing from Sexual Abuse:
While revelations of sexual abuse continue to plague Hollywood (and rightfully so), very little is focused on the healing from the trauma. Unfortunately, most victims of sexual abuse do not have Hollywood-sized bank accounts to afford top-notch treatment.
Children are three times more likely to become victims of rape than adults. This year alone, a total of 500,000 babies who will be born in the United States will become victims of sexual abuse before for they reach the age of eighteen.
These survivors are three times more likely to suffer from depression, six times more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, thirteen times more likely to abuse alcohol and twenty-six times more likely to abuse drugs. Over 64 percent of all sexual abuse victims attempt or commit suicide.
Female victims of sexual abuse are 2.2 times more likely to become teen mothers than non-victims and three times less likely to complete high school. Women ages twenty to twenty-four who were sexually abused as children are four times more likely to suffer from an eating disorder. Their average medical costs post-abuse are 19 percent higher than their non-abused peers.
The total cost of rape to victims (including sexual abuse) every year in the United States is $127 billion, more than any other crime (and the most under-reported). Each rape costs Americans between $87,000 and $240,776.
The good news is treatment doesn't cost a pretty penny. In fact, it is as easy as anything else God has to offer. The Word of God is Truth and that Word can heal your mind even if you don't understand how it could possibly work. As a sexual abuse survivor, I know first-hand the healing power of the Cross. While therapy has its merits, nothing can compare to the simplicity of grace freely given by The Great Physician. It is imperative that victims are offered this crucial opportunity to experience the top-notch healing God has to offer.
