Margaret Hoelzer was sexually abused in childhood?

By Natalie Pric

It is really shocking to know that Olympic medal winner Margaret Hoelzer was sexually abused when she was a child. Hoelzer says she was five years old when the abuse by a playmate’s father started. Startling! Especially considering the fact that her grandfather invented the analog computer, and her father was an engineer. It was not a family which did not have its basics in the right place. As luck would have it,

Ultimately the molester was arrested but it took years together before it happened. This however did not prevent from leaving an indelible scar in the mind of the child. The molester finally was freed because of the lack of evidence.

So, what is the point now? It is very important to know and to accept that such issues of abuse against girl child exist and are more common than we think.

Approximately 20% to 25% of women are sexually abused when they were children.Most sexual abuse offenders are acquainted with their victims; approximately 30% are relatives of the child, most often fathers, uncles or cousins; around 60% are other acquaintances such as friends of the family, babysitters, or neighbors; strangers are the offenders in approximately 10% of child sexual abuse cases. Most child sexual abuse is committed by men.

Child sexual abuse can result in both short-term and long-term harm, including psychopathology in later life.Psychological, emotional, physical, and social effects include depression,post-traumatic stress disorder,anxiety, eating disorders, poor self-esteem, dissociative and anxiety disorders; general psychological distress and disorders such as somatization, neurosis, chronic pain, sexualized behavior, school/learning problems; and behavior problems including substance abuse, destructive behavior, criminality in adulthood and suicide.

It is really courageous and commendable on part of Margaret Hoelzer to let this be known to the world.

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