The molestation lawyers in Chicago, Illinois at the Dinizulu Law Group work with victims and families whose lives have been devastated by child molestation. According to RAINN, every nine minutes child protective services finds evidence of child sexual abuse or molestation. Even more alarming is the fact that many instances of child molestation go unreported. 1 in 9 girls and 1 in 53 boys under age 18 experience sexual abuse at the hands of an adult.
Victims of sexual molestation may suffer from serious psychological and emotional injuries, and may also experience physical injuries as a result of sexual molestation. Physical injuries can include sexually transmitted diseases, injuries to the genitals, and pregnancy. Some sexually transmitted diseases can have long-term effects on individuals, including higher cancer risk, and the need for ongoing medical care and medication.
According to RAINN child molestation victims are four times more at risk of developing symptoms of drug abuse, four times more likely to develop PTSD as adults, and three times more likely to experience a major depressive episode as an adult. These victims may be more at risk of suicide or self-harming behaviors. Finally, according to RAINN, 93% of all perpetrators of child molestation are related to the victim, with 34% being family members and 59% being related to the child as an acquaintance, either as a church member, priest, teacher, or coach, or another person that may have close contact with children.
If you or someone you know was a victim of child molestation, the Chicago, Illinois child molestation lawyers at the Dinizulu Law Group may be able to help you. Under the law, you and your family may be able to sue the person, or the negligent organization, church, or school, that enabled the molestation. There have been instances where organizations, businesses, schools, and churches failed to take action when there were reports of child molestation, and in some cases, these organizations, businesses, schools, and churches may have even taken steps to cover up the molestation to protect the abuser. By speaking up, victims and families can hold these individuals and organizations accountable so that child molestation doesn’t happen again. The Dinizulu Law Group is a child molestation law firm in Chicago, Illinois that may be able to help you.
What is Child Molestation?
Child molestation doesn’t always involve rape, though it can include rape. It can involve a range of behaviors involving or affecting a child. Child molestation can include touching a child inappropriately or an adult making a child touch him or her inappropriately. It can also include indecent exposure to a minor, forcing a child to watch pornography, behaving in a sexual way around a child, prostituting a child, or forcing a child to engage in sexual behaviors for pornographic purposes. Abuse can often occur either in the home, or in a setting where adults have access to children. This can include priests molesting children to whom they are providing spiritual guidance, a coach molesting a young athlete, a teacher molesting a student at school, a doctor molesting a patient during the course of medical treatment, or a manager molesting an underage employee. Child molestation can happen at church, at school, at camp, at work, and at the doctor’s office.
If you or someone you love was a victim of child molestation, you and your family may have the right to seek damages against the individual or organization responsible. Parents, for example, may have the right to sue a school district, church, employer, business, athletic organization, private club, college campus, or medical provider if they believe their child was molested while in their care. Victims and their families may be able to seek damages for medical expenses, counseling, therapy costs, pain and suffering, and other damages.
It can be horrifying to learn that your child was a victim of molestation. You have rights. Reach out to the child molestation law firm in Chicago, Illinois at the Dinizulu Law Group today to learn more and to seek justice today.
Signs of Child Molestation
Child molestation may not always leave physical scars or marks. Molesters may try to hide their behavior. If you suspect that your child has been molested, trust your feelings, and talk to your child, or consider reaching out to a professional who may be able to evaluate your child. Some signs of child molestation include changes in behavior. A child may exhibit greater knowledge about sexual behavior and topics than he or she should at his or her age, or the child may begin exhibiting sexual behavior that is not appropriate for his or her age. Other signs can include a child that has become withdrawn and not talkative suddenly, especially if he or she has been asked to keep a secret. The child may start showing fear or dislike of the adult committing the molestation. Other signs can include nightmares, problems sleeping, changes in eating, worry and fear, self-harming behaviors, or loss of interest in activities he or she formerly enjoyed.
Some of these signs can overlap with other psychological or emotional conditions and there are many signs, which can make child molestation difficult to spot. Talking to your child about appropriate and inappropriate touching and behaviors is one way to get your child to speak to you, but sometimes children may not always talk about what is going on. Sometimes specialists are needed.
There are also signs that adults exhibit that may be red flags. If there is an adult in your child’s life that touches your child without asking permission, tries to adopt a friendly role toward your child rather than the role of the authority figure he or she is, spends time alone with your child outside his or her role, doesn’t have age-appropriate relationships, or has inappropriate relationships with younger people, these could be red flags or warning signs.
If you believe your child has been a victim of child molestation, you might be devastated, frightened, and angry. It is important to seek help. You and your family may also have the right to seek damages for your child’s medical care, counseling, and other services. You may even be able to pursue punitive damages against the individual or organization responsible. The Dinizulu Law Group is a child molestation law firm in Chicago, Illinois that may be able to assist you if your child has been molested, or if you believe your child has been molested. When families take action, they can put a stop to further molestation taking place. They may also encourage other families to come forward. If your child has been harmed by an adult, you have rights.
Enablers of Child Molestation
What makes child molestation so devastating is that it often isn’t just one individual committing the crime, but a whole culture and organization that may be protecting an individual in power. If the person committing the molestation is a priest or clergy member, this can be especially painful, particularly for people of faith. Others have monetary interests to protect, and may not report sexual molestation, either to protect their pocketbooks, or to protect the reputation of an organization or school. There have been cases where schools and churches covered up molestation for years because they didn’t want reports to damage their reputation. The result was that more children were molested over the years, and molestation that could have been prevented, wasn’t prevented. If your child was molested, or if your family was impacted by child molestation, you may have the right to pursue a lawsuit, not only against the molester, but against the organization that may have protected the child molester. Enablers of child molestation should always be held accountable. The child molestation lawyers in Chicago, Illinois at the Dinizulu Law Group are here to help you fight back, protect your child, and hold responsible parties accountable.
Protect Your Child
Learning that your child has suffered molestation can be one of the most difficult things a parent can confront. You may be struggling with a wide range of emotions. You may wonder what rights you have and what your next steps should be. Your first steps should always involve your child’s safety. Make sure that your child has no further contact with the adult suspected of molesting your child and tell appropriate authorities what is going on so that the adult will have no further contact with children. The Dinizulu Law Group is a child molestation law firm in Chicago, Illinois that can help your family take civil legal action against the molester or organization that may have been negligent and allowed the molestation to continue. These groups can include churches, schools, community organizations, and more. If you or someone you love has suffered from molestation, you have the right to fight back, seek justice, and protect your child. Reach out to the Dinizulu Law Group, a child molestation attorney in Chicago, Illinois today to learn more. Pursuing a lawsuit can have a range of benefits. It can raise awareness and stop molestation from happening again. It can force institutions to change their policies and practices, to help protect children in the future. Contact the Dinizulu Law Group, a child molestation law firm in Chicago, Illinois today. Our compassionate and caring attorneys are on your side.
