I have two points. First, we have thirteen children. Only our eight youngest were singled out for rape by the neighbor and his adult friend. Two of our older girls, who were in their mid-teens at the time--were victims of attempted grooming but they didn't buy it. They turned away. They are also out-spoken young ladies with no special needs like their younger siblings. Every other victim of this pair also had special needs. When you look at the timeline in our case, the rapists started with the most vulnerable children and worked their way to the stronger ones. They were becoming bolder. Now, I am not in any way insinuating that these alleged victims were "weaker" or had special needs. I am stating that there are many factors and dynamics at play as to who is chosen as a victim and who is discarded as a possibility. I think age, personality, compliance--all play a role. The other victims can also be enablers. A sad and tragic fact, but so true.
I also wanted to agree with Texas Mist about how victims respond differently over the years to their abusers. My husband comes from a family where all four girls were raped from the age of 8 onward. Three girls came together and confronted their father in their twenties and put him "on notice". The fourth did not and stayed very dedicated to her Dad. Years later when it became clear that this monster (yes, my father-in-law) had abused two toddlers he was "helping" at church, the three women went to the police together and reported their Dad. My husband also gave a deposition. The fourth sister, again, did not. To this day she remains in complete denial about the abuse even though numerous siblings saw her being abused!! I have great compassion for her but it breaks my heart that she lives in a magical land. She'll never totally heal in that place.
