Shame involves "feelings of exposure and an impulse to hide." "Irrational shame" is a "feeling of having been exposed as a fundamentally and irremediably defective human being" (Holzman, 1995). In much of Latin America, one of the worst names a person can be called is a "sin verguenza," which means "without shame." This term is used to describe people who do not engage in appropriate self-criticism when their behavior has failed to meet community standards. Since shame is such a central concept in Latino cultures, it is no surprise that it is a strong factor in experiences and reactions to child sexual abuse (CSA). Victims of CSA feel ashamed because they have participated in taboo activities, and in most cases they have kept these taboo activities secret. Children may feel especially ashamed if they are assaulted on more than one occasion, or if they receive gifts or special privileges for participating in sexual acts. In Latino cultures, the value of a boy's or man's masculinity may depend on the number of his sexual conquests, and the value of a girl or woman's femininity may depend on maintaining chastity. When sexual acts occur outside of marriage, the female is assumed to have made herself accessible and is often blamed for the sexual contact. The view that the child rather than the adult is responsible for sexual acts between them is a common myth that serves to protect adults from their own feelings of shame for having failed to protect a vulnerable child. An important part of recovery for many Latino victims is to learn and believe that they were not responsible for their sexual abuse. 37 references