I suppose there are people who can benefit from even the most horrible experiences, but that’s not the way to bet.
Having been in a self-help group that made me privy to the misery of adults who were child victims of sexual predation, I feel I know a bit more about the subject than most people do, so I insist: the damage done is almost always devastating.
No doubt in my mind — sex with children is abusive, no matter what the immediate outcome seems to be. This “what does not kill me, makes me stronger” nonsense is not just factually wrong — it’s evil. Denial can and almost always does cover up the injury in the short term. Years later, the victim wonders why his or her life is so wretched, and can find peace only by going through a prolonged period of coming to grips with the horror of the past.
There is effective help for victims, if they have the courage to seek it out and the persistence to work with it. The real question is what we should do with the offenders, IMHO.
