Understanding Child Sexual Abuse
The legal definition of child sexual abuse or molestation varies from state to state, but in general it includes any form of sexual contact or exploitation in which a minor is being used for the sexual stimulation of the perpetrator. The National Resource Center on Child Sexual Abuse describes it as:
Any sexual activity with a child—whether in the home by a caregiver, in a day- care situation, foster or residential situation, or any other setting; including on the street by a person unknown to the child. The abuser may be an adult, an adolescent, or another child, provided the child is four years older than the victim. Child sexual abuse may be violent or nonviolent. All child sexual abuse
is an exploitation of a child’s vulnerability and powerlessness in which the abuser is fully responsible for his or her actions. Child sexual abuse is crim- inal behavior that involves children in sexual behaviors for which they are not personally, socially, and developmentally ready. Although child sexual abuse can involve touching—fondling, oral, genital and anal penetration, intercourse and rape; sexual abuse doesn’t always involve touching. Sexual abuse can include non-touching, such as verbal comments, obscene phone calls, exhibitionism, or allowing children to watch sexual activity or por- nographic videos. Child sexual abuse occurs in all demographic, racial, ethnic, socio-eco-
nomic, and religious groups. Strangers account for less than 20 percent of abus- ers. Estimates indicate that when a known assailant commits the abuse, half the time it is a father or step-father, the rest of the time it is a trusted adult who misuses his or her authority over children.
The effects of abuse Child sexual abuse robs children of their childhood and can scar vic- tims for life. Too frequently in the past, these effects were minimized or dismissed by adults. Children were viewed as resilient. Research has shown that children can suffer significant pain from even a single abusive incident. Abused Children can display a wide range
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