Malcolm Rivera
Child sexual abuse is a serious public health problem that can have long-term impacts on a child's health, opportunity, and well-being. It includes a wide range of sexual behaviours that take place between a child and an older child or adult, with the intention of arousing the older person, generally without consideration for the child's reactions, choices, or the effects of the behaviour upon them. Child sexual abuse can be categorised into two types: touching and non-touching. Touching includes sexual kissing, touching a child's genitals, making a child touch someone else's genitals, and intercourse. Non-touching abuse includes showing pornography to a child, exposing a person's genitals to a child, prostituting/trafficking a child, and encouraging a child to watch or hear sexual acts. It is important to recognise the signs of child sexual abuse, such as behavioural changes, excessive withdrawal, fearfulness, or anxiety, and to report suspected cases to the proper authorities.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | Child sexual abuse refers to the involvement of a child (person less than 18 years old) in sexual activity that violates the laws or social taboos of society. |
| Comprehension | The child does not fully comprehend the activity. |
| Consent | The child does not consent or is unable to give informed consent. |
| Preparedness | The child is not developmentally prepared for the activity and cannot give consent. |
| Reporting | Many children wait to report or never report child sexual abuse. |
| Prevalence | At least one in four girls and one in 20 boys in the United States experience child sexual abuse. |
| Perpetrator | About 90% of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by someone known and trusted by the child or the child's family members. |
| Gender | Men are perpetrators in most cases, regardless of the victim's gender. Women are perpetrators in about 14% of cases reported against boys and about 6% of cases reported against girls. |
| Relationship | About 30% of perpetrators are relatives of the child, such as fathers, uncles, or cousins. Strangers are perpetrators in only about 10% of cases. |
| Impact | Child sexual abuse can have a long-term impact on health, opportunity, and well-being. It can affect how a person thinks, acts, and feels over a lifetime, leading to short- and long-term physical, mental, and behavioral health consequences. |
| Symptoms | Survivors may show symptoms of PTSD, including agitated behavior, frightening dreams, and repetitive play in which aspects of the abuse are expressed. They may exhibit other fears and anxieties, lose developmental skills, and exhibit inappropriate sexual behavior or seductiveness. |
| Detection | Child sexual abuse can be difficult to detect as it often occurs in private and may not result in physical evidence. |
| Types | Touching: touching a child's genitals, making a child touch someone else's genitals, playing sexual games, and/or putting objects or body parts inside the child's orifices. Non-touching: showing pornography, exposing genitals, prostituting/trafficking, photographing in sexual poses, encouraging a child to watch or hear sexual acts, and/or watching a child undress. |
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What You'll Learn
Sexual activity with a child
Child sexual abuse is a serious public health problem that can have long-term impacts on a child's health, opportunities, and well-being. It refers to the involvement of a child (under 18 years old) in sexual activity that violates societal laws or norms and that the child does not fully understand, consent to, or is unable to consent to due to their developmental stage.
It is important to note that child sexual abuse is often perpetrated by someone known and trusted by the child or their family, including relatives and non-relative acquaintances. The impact of such abuse can affect how a person thinks, acts, and feels throughout their life, leading to short- and long-term physical, mental, and behavioural consequences. Survivors may exhibit symptoms of PTSD, including agitated behaviour, frightening dreams, and inappropriate sexual behaviour. They may also develop fears, anxieties, and problems with maintaining appropriate boundaries.
To prevent and address child sexual abuse, adults must ensure that children have safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and environments. It is crucial for individuals working with children to be able to identify signs of abuse and know how to report it to the proper authorities. Signs of sexual abuse can include a child exhibiting extremes in behaviour, frequent injuries or bruises, always being "on alert," or exhibiting inappropriate sexual behaviour.
If a child displays sexually inappropriate behaviour or has been abused by another child, it is essential to seek professional support and therapeutic services to help them understand appropriate boundaries and consent.
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Child sexual abuse by relatives
Child sexual abuse is a serious public health problem and an adverse childhood experience. Child sexual abuse can have a long-term impact on health, opportunity, and well-being. Child sexual abuse refers to the involvement of a child (a person under 18 years old) in sexual activity that violates the laws or social taboos of society. This includes a wide range of sexual behaviours that take place between a child and an older child or adult. These sexual behaviours are intended to arouse the older person, generally without consideration for the reactions or choices of the child and without consideration for the effects of the behaviour upon the child.
Intra-familial child sexual abuse often occurs in combination with other forms of physical or emotional abuse or neglect, and there is evidence of close relationships between child abuse and domestic violence, between sexual abuse in childhood and sexual victimisation in adolescence, and between intra-familial and extra-familial victimisation. Child sexual abuse in the family often starts at a younger age than extra-familial abuse and may go on for many years. Abuse by a family member, particularly a parent or carer, may be especially traumatic because of the betrayal, stigma, and secrecy it involves.
Abuse by a relative can have serious consequences for the victim, including psychological and physical well-being, family and intimate relationships, faith, and education and career. Victims of child sexual abuse by relatives may also experience symptoms of PTSD, including agitated behaviour, frightening dreams, and repetitive play in which aspects of the abuse are expressed. They might exhibit other fears and anxieties or lose developmental skills and begin bed-wetting or thumb-sucking. They may also show inappropriate sexual behaviour or have difficulty maintaining appropriate boundaries with others.
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Non-touching child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a serious public health problem and an adverse childhood experience (ACE) that can have a long-term impact on health, opportunity, and well-being. Child sexual abuse refers to the involvement of a child (a person under 18 years old) in sexual activity that violates societal laws or social taboos and that the child does not fully comprehend, does not consent to, or is unable to give consent to.
- Showing pornography to a child
- Exposing a person's genitals to a child ("flashing")
- Prostituting or trafficking a child
- Photographing a child in sexual poses
- Encouraging a child to watch or listen to sexual acts, either in person or on video
- Watching a child undress or use the bathroom
- Verbal pressure for sex
It is important to note that child sexual abuse is preventable, and adults are responsible for ensuring that children have safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and environments. While it may not always be easy to tell if a child has been sexually abused, there may be signs such as behavioural changes, withdrawal, anxiety, or acting inappropriately infantile or adult-like.
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Long-term effects on health
The long-term health effects of child sexual abuse can be wide-ranging and severe, impacting both mental and physical health.
Mental Health
Child sexual abuse can have a profound and lasting impact on mental health, with survivors reporting a range of issues including:
- Anxiety disorders
- Depression
- Eating disorders
- Sleep disruption and insomnia
- Dissociation
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Personality disorders
- Low self-esteem and self-confidence
- Suicidal ideation and attempts
- Panic attacks
- Obsessions
- Substance misuse
Physical Health
Child sexual abuse can also have adverse effects on physical health, both in childhood and adulthood. These effects can be direct, such as injuries sustained during abuse or the contraction of sexually transmitted infections, or indirect, such as:
- Upper respiratory issues
- Gastrointestinal conditions (e.g. irritable bowel syndrome)
- Hypertension
- Chronic fatigue
- Malnutrition
- Reproductive system problems
- Early-onset puberty in girls
Behavioural Effects
Behavioural issues may also arise as a result of child sexual abuse, often as a coping mechanism for victims dealing with mental and emotional trauma. These can include:
- Self-harm
- Alcohol and drug abuse
- Risk of revictimization
Relational Trauma
Child sexual abuse can also affect a person's ability to connect with others and themselves, impacting their relationships and quality of life. This can include difficulties with creating and maintaining boundaries, as well as problems with intimacy and trust.
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Signs of child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse refers to the involvement of a child (a person under 18 years old) in sexual activity that violates societal laws or taboos and that the child does not fully comprehend, does not consent to, or is unable to give consent to. Child sexual abuse can have a long-term impact on health, opportunity, and well-being. It can affect how a person thinks, acts, and feels over a lifetime, resulting in short- and long-term physical, mental, and behavioural health consequences.
The signs of child sexual abuse can vary depending on the child's developmental stage and the circumstances of the abuse, such as how frequent the abuse is, who is inflicting the abuse, and what kind of abuse is happening. It is important to note that the presence of some of the signs does not confirm that sexual abuse has occurred, and some children might show many of the signs while others might show few or none at all.
Some signs of child sexual abuse include:
- Unusual or new fears, sometimes around touch, being alone, or being with a particular person or in a particular place.
- Showing knowledge of sexual behaviour beyond their developmental age.
- Sexual themes in artwork, stories, play, etc.
- 'Acting out' behaviours, such as aggression, destructive behaviours, or truanting behaviour.
- 'Acting in' behaviours, such as withdrawal from friends and family, depression, or becoming excessively withdrawn, fearful, or anxious.
- Regressive behaviours, such as bed-wetting or soiling after being toilet-trained, or acting or wanting to be treated like a baby/younger child again.
- Difficulty concentrating or with memory, zoning out, seeming distracted or not listening.
- Asking vague questions or making vague statements about topics such as secrets, unusual 'games', or adult behaviours.
- Inappropriate sexual behaviour or seductiveness, or difficulty maintaining appropriate boundaries with others.
- Cruelty to others, running away, or other behaviour problems.
- Self-harm or suicidal ideation in older children or adolescents.
Additionally, there may be physical signs of abuse, such as frequent injuries or unexplained bruises, welts, or cuts. In some cases, there may be signs of physical injury inflicted by another person, sexual assault, or exploitation of the child. Other signs may include sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or pregnancy, especially under the age of fourteen.
It's important to note that most perpetrators of child sexual abuse are known and trusted by the child or the child's family, and men are perpetrators in most cases. Children and young people of all backgrounds and ages may be sexually abused.
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Frequently asked questions
Child sexual abuse refers to the involvement of a child (person less than 18 years old) in sexual activity that violates the laws or social taboos of society. Child sexual abuse includes a wide range of sexual behaviours that take place between a child and an older child or adult.
Children who are being sexually abused may exhibit certain signs, such as becoming excessively withdrawn, fearful, or anxious about doing something wrong. They may also show extremes in behaviour, such as becoming extremely compliant or extremely demanding. They may also exhibit inappropriate sexual behaviour or seductiveness, or have difficulty maintaining appropriate boundaries with others.
If you suspect that a child is being sexually abused, it is important to report it to the proper authorities, such as child protective services or the police. You can also contact organisations such as the NSPCC Helpline for advice and support. It is important to remember that child sexual abuse can have both short-term and long-term effects on a child's physical, mental, and emotional health.
