The Color Purple

6. What does Sofia mean when she says, "A girl child ain't safe in a family of men?" Give examples from text. (21)

What does Sofia mean when she says, "A girl child ain't safe in a family of men?" Give examples from text. (21)

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Last updated by DIANE S #791528
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She means that the girl child will either end up beaten or raped.

To be more specific. Child sexual abuse and violence have been around for a long time. As horrific as that sounds, it is often the dirty little secret of a family. Little children are forced to keep the secret of the contact or risk breaking up their household home, lose the protection and love of a family, and sometimes their own life or the life of someone that they love and trust. And then they get the misunderstanding that it is all somehow their fault. The resulting acting out and addiction remedy pursued by many leads to multigenerational dysfunction. Here are some statistics from:

11 Facts About Child Abuse

Welcome to DoSomething.org, a global movement of 6 million young people making positive change, online and off! The 11 facts you want are below, and the sources for the facts are at the very bottom of the page. After you learn something, Do Something! Find out how to take action here.

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  1. Approximately 5 children die every day because of child abuse.
  2. 1 out of 3 girls and 1 out of 5 boys will be sexually abused before they reach age 18.
  3. 90% of child sexual abuse victims know the perpetrator in some way. 68% are abused by a family member.
  4. In 2012, 82.2% of child abuse perpetrators were found to be between the ages of 18-44, of which 39.6% were recorded to be between the ages of 25-34.
  5. In the United States, more than 4 children die from child abuse and neglect on a daily basis. Over 70% of these children are below the age of 3.Feeling Down?
  6. Boys (48.5%) and girls (51.2%) become victims at nearly the same rate.
  1. 2.9 million cases of child abuse are reported every year in the United States.
  2. Children who experience child abuse and neglect are 59% more likely to be arrested as a juvenile, 28% more likely to be arrested as an adult, and 30% more likely to commit violence crime.
  3. About 80% of 21-year-olds who were abused as children met criteria for at least one psychological disorder.
  4. 14% of all men and 36% of all women in prison were abused as children.
  5. Abused children are less likely to practice safe sex, putting them at greater risk for STDs. They’re also 25% more likely to experience teen pregnancy.