Child Sexual Abuse Claim

The amount of courage required to talk about surviving sexual assault is hardly possible to put into words. The amount of courage required to survive an assault is similarly hard to fathom. If you are here reading this page, there is a strong possibility that you or a loved one is a survivor of sexual abuse, and you may want to file a Child Sexual Abuse Claim.

Words alone are unlikely to provide comfort, but we believe you. It is not your fault. And we are here to listen.

According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), an American is assaulted every 68 seconds. That is every 68 seconds every day.

Sexual abuse and sexual assault are distressing and far too common occurrences in trusted institutions such as churches, schools, foster care, prisons, and juvenile detention centers. It is horrendous when those responsible for children and adults are the ones perpetrating this abuse. Fortunately, in Maryland, the law now allows survivors of abuse and rape at any age to fight back and seek justice.

Even if the abuse happened fifteen years ago, you may be able to seek retribution from the system that allowed the abuse.

At The Yost Legal Group, we are dedicated to helping survivors of childhood sexual abuse. If you or a loved one was raped or molested by anyone working in the church, in a juvenile detention center, or by a teacher or afterschool coach, contact us.

We will provide the help, guidance, and support you need to seek justice on your behalf. Contact us for a free consultation. Our team is filing claims on behalf of children, teenagers, and adults who have suffered from this heinous crime. Regardless of how long ago the abuse happened, even if it was 50 years ago, we may be able to help you finally seek justice.

We are filing claims for the following types of lawsuits:

If you or a loved one were sexually abused or assaulted in a church or government institution, we are here to support you. Please call The Yost Legal Group at 1-800-967-8529 to speak with one of our compassionate sexual assault lawyers. A Child Victim’s Act Lawyer will work tirelessly to ensure you receive the justice and financial compensation you deserve.

What is “Sexual Assault”?

When people hear or think about the phrase “sexual assault,” they have a very narrow view of what constitutes the heinous crime. While rape is a form of sexual assault, a survivor of sexual assault does not necessarily have to be someone who was raped.

Many forms of sexual abuse go unreported because the survivor does not feel as though, know, or want to believe they were sexually assaulted simply because they were not raped.

A “sexual assault” is any form of nonconsensual or unwanted sexual contact or exposure.

The following list includes common types of sexual assault, but it is not exhaustive:

Child sexual abuse
Grooming
Indecent exposure
Rape
Sexual harassment
Abuse of Minor

Effects of Sexual Assault on Survivors

Surviving sexual assault can have long-lasting and harmful effects on an individual’s psyche and mental health. Even if a survivor does not report a sexual assault to the authorities, seeking help and care to deal with the trauma is of the utmost importance.

Common mental health factors to be careful of include, but are not limited to:

Anxiety
Depression
Loss of self-esteem
Self-harm
Suicidal ideations

If you or a loved one is a survivor of sexual assault, please seek both medical and mental health care above all else.

Prevalence of Sexual Assault in the United States

Despite the continued progress of the MeToo movement, Every 68 Seconds Project, and RAINN, the epidemic of sexual abuse persists in the United States.

Over the last decade, high-profile cases have gone to trial where juries arrived at guilty verdicts in favor of the survivors of sexual assault:

Harvey Weinstein was convicted of several sex crimes in Los Angeles.
R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison for sex trafficking.
Penn State’s Jerry Sandusky is convicted of sexually assaulting minors at summer camp.
The U.S. Gymnastics Team scandal exposes College and Olympic team cover-up.
Bill Cosby was convicted and sentenced to jail.
BackPage sex traffic website operators are arrested and criminally charged.
Southern California University OBGYN was exposed for abusing hundreds of students.
Pennsylvania grand jury finds over 1,000 Catholic churchgoers were sexually abused.

But these verdicts are simply a drop in the bucket. How many years and decades did the likes of Bill Cosby, Jerry Sandusky, R. Kelly, and Harvey Weinstein get away with grooming and abusing children, minors, and vulnerable people who looked up to them?

How many hundreds or thousands of years have the Catholic Church and other longstanding religious organizations hidden sexual abuse by their clergies and other officials?

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that annual emergency room (ER) visits for sexual assault survivors in the United States had increased by 1,533% between 2006 and 2019.

Ultimately and unfortunately, a sexual abuser is not convicted or even preliminarily arrested for their crimes every 68 seconds.

Sexual Abusers Violate Relationships of Trust

Often, the abuser is a trusted person: a boss, camp counselor, daycare provider, doctor, family member, priest, or teacher, et cetera. Perpetrators of sexual assault take advantage of their standing and positions of power to prey upon the young and vulnerable.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 74% of adolescent survivors of abuse were sexually assaulted by someone they knew. Of those, one in five had been sexually assaulted by a family member.

These statistics help to explain why RAINN found that 55% of sexual assaults occur at or near survivors’ homes.

People tend to go to churches/places of worship, doctor’s offices, and schools near their homes, thus making it more likely that, should someone encounter a sex abuser, the offense would happen close to home.

That said, “vulnerable” does not exclusively mean “young.” As reported by the Department of Justice, the majority of the sexual assault survivors over the age of 12 were between the ages of 18 and 34 years old (54%).

Unfortunately, the epidemic of sexual abuse is not new. For too long, far too many individual organizations, the government, and long-standing institutions have failed our most vulnerable citizens and survivors.

It is not your fault. We believe you. And you have a right to be heard and seek justice.

Maryland Abuse Lawyer – Sexual Assault Lawyer – Childhood Sex Abuse Lawyer – Prison Abuse Attorneys

Catholic Church Abuse Attorney – Juvenile Sex Abuse – Juvenile Detention Center Abuse Claims

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