History of sexual assault

History has shown that sexual abuse has always existed (deMause, 1998). The research about this topic is extensive and sometimes overwhelming however! To simplify our research we will generally discuss this topic because, there is no exact date that sexual abuse has started! Sexual abuse is even mentioned in the Bible and cases of sexual abuse vary from one culture to another which makes it so complex.  For instance in New Guinea it was very common for the mother of a boy to masturbate him (deMause, 1998).In ancient Western civilizations it was common for fathers to sell their daughters and daughters that had been sexual abused were sold for less because they were “damaged goods” (Cyril J. Smith, 1970). Moreover sexual abuse was also used as punishment or occurred to women and children who lost a war (Cyril J. Smith, 1970).  In 1929 Child marriage was outlawed in India because of child sexual abuse reasons (deMause, 1998). In Japan mothers used to sleep with their sons because they believed it would teach them about sex and keep them from impregnating other young girls (deMause, 1998). There are almost too many cases of sexual abuse in history to document! However I would like to put a quote from the bible about sexual abuse:
"When a man is discovered lying with a married woman, they shall both die; the woman as well as the man who lay with her; you shall rid Israel of this wickedness. When a virgin is pledged marriage to a man and another man comes upon her in the town and lies with her, you shall bring both of them out to the gate of the town and stone them to death; the girl, because, although in the town, she did not cry for help, and the man because he dishonoured another man's wife; you shall rid yourselves of this wickedness. If the man comes upon such a girl in the country and rapes her, then the man alone shall die because he lay with her. You shall do nothing to the girl, she has done nothing worthy of death; this deed is like that of a man who attacks another and murders him, for the man came upon her in the country, and though the girl cried for help, there was no one to rescue her. When a man comes upon a virgin who is not pledged in marriage and forces her to lie with him, and they are discovered, then the man who lies with her shall give the girl's father fifty pieces of silver, and she shall be his wife because he has dishonoured her. He is not free to divorce her all his life long." -Deuteronomy 22: 23-29

References: deMause, L.(1998). The History of Child abuse. The Journal of Pshychohistory 25 (3).

Cyril J. Smith, "History of Rape and Rape Laws.' Woman Lawyers Journal, 60 (1974), P. 191.

P Paradis