Introduction
The story “I can’t remember this, or I won’t sleep tonight. I kept vomiting while it happened” is a depressing personal story involving a woman who was a victim of childhood sexual abuse at a tender age. Sexual abuse, as evident in the story, is a grave violation of female rights and has subsequent sociological implications.
Experience of Sexual Abuse
According to Macionis (2018), sexual abuse is portrayed as a breach of trust within the family. Moreover, the story also criticizes the lack of communication that is normally experienced, as the narrator points out that the West Indian culture does not allow an open discussion on childhood sexual abuse for justice.
Implications of Sexual Abuse
The effects of childhood sexual abuse, if not properly managed, could affect the individual victims for life. According to Macionis (2018), the resulting issues include a struggle to fit into the community, mistrust, and psychological symptoms. Furthermore, these individuals’ socialization becomes challenging since they struggle with traumas that may eventually define their behaviors. The victim’s anger, neighbors’ voices, and perception of danger manifest as the sources of psychological consequences resulting from their abuse.
In addition, the story touches on the mental issues that come about as a result of the abuse. According to Humans of New York – Inmate Stories (2019), the hallucinations and distressing pictures the victims see are signs of trauma on mental well-being. This can affect the overall health of children and people who fall victim to childhood sexual abuse.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this story educates on the need for sociological analysis of such cases in the community to render justice. Moreover, it calls for the trauma and mental health of the abused to be handled within family dynamics frameworks, societal norms, and social support to help them heal completely. Finally, the story underscores the steps that the community and the world are undertaking to intervene for such victims and address such complex issues to foster healing and prevent such from happening.
References
Humans of New York – inmate stories. (2019). Humans of New York. Web.
Macionis, J. J. (2018). Society: The basics, books a la carte edition. (15th ed.). Pearson Education (US).