The situation when a woman, having given birth to a child, remarries is not uncommon. It also happens that the stepfather begins to harass or commit sexual acts with the child. This can seriously harm both the physical and mental health of the teenager.
Family help
Usually, harassment does not begin immediately, not in the first year of marriage between a mother and her new husband. After a while, the spouses get bored with each other (even if they don't show it) and start looking for "adventures" on the side. Alas, in some cases a man turns his attention to a child growing up in a family.
“Usually it all starts with furtively cast glances, unexpected gifts,” says Inna Galperina, a psychologist at the Center for Psychological Adaptation and Information for Youth. - It often happens that a girl or a guy, waking up, finds his stepfather next to the bed. As a rule, he masturbates at this moment. At first, this behavior is incomprehensible to a teenager, and then a stage of real panic sets in, because the stepfather can move on to more active actions.
If this situation occurs in your family, you need to enlist the support of relatives. In this case, it does not matter at what stage the harassment is: at the stage of peeping or active coercion into sexual intercourse. You should talk to your mom first. She is an adult woman and may well not only assess the current situation, but also influence it. For a normal responsible parent, the health and happiness of the child always comes first.
If the mother does not trust her own child, you can tell your aunt, grandmother or any other adult family member you trust about the situation. If possible, record your stepfather's words on a tape recorder when he says obscene things. You can take a few photos or make a video that will prove the man's abnormal behavior.
The law is on your side
When adults do not believe a teenager, and the harassment does not stop and becomes more active (often accompanied by threats), it is necessary to immediately contact various authorities. At any police station, ask to accompany you to the investigator, tell him about the situation and ask him to accept the application. A law enforcement officer is obliged to help you in drawing up the document, register it and initiate a pre-investigation check. Dictaphone and video recordings, photographs can be a good help in proving the fact of harassment. If the police fail to collect a sufficient evidence base so that the case can be launched, write a statement to the Investigative Committee of the city or region where you live.
“It often happens that teenagers are afraid to go to the police,” says psychologist Inna Halperina. - This is a very big mistake. Often, the mention that a teenager is ready for decisive action makes the pedophile stop his actions forever. If not, then there is nothing to lose. It is impossible to release the situation on the brakes, otherwise it will end, at best, with psychological trauma. Law enforcement agencies now do not particularly stand on ceremony with those who are suspected of pedophilia, and the court, as a rule, issues a severe sentence.
Punishment for violent acts of a sexual nature is regulated by article 132 of the Criminal Code of Russia, for compulsion to acts of a sexual nature - article 133, for molestation and seduction of persons under 16 years old, pedophilia - article 134.
