Child Sexual Abuse

A brief overview

The true number of children are sexually abused each year in the United States is unknown. Sadly often children who "tell" about the abuse are not believed by the person they tell. If they are believed they must repeat their story many times before the case is resolved. Consider your last sexual encounter. Now think about telling every detail about that encounter to a stranger. That's just the beginning for a child. By the time a child sexual abuse case reaches the criminal court system it is estimated the child has told of their victimization seven to nine times.

What is considered child sexual abuse? Some of the more common sexual abuses seen by the criminal justice system are listed below. This is certainly not meant to be a complete listing. Depending on the state, child sexual abuse is any sexual act between an adult and a child. It is almost always sexual penetration, oral sex, intercourse, sodomy (anal entry), inappropriate touching such as touching or kissing a child's genitals, or breasts. This includes forcing a child to fondle an adult's genitals. Rape, incest, forcing a child to watch adults have or perform sexual acts is also considered sexual abuse.

Indicators of child sexual abuse

One of the best indicators of child sexual abuse is when a child tells you that they are being abused, they have and STD, or that they are pregnant. No one should ignore or tell a child they don't believe them, particularly a young child, if they claim sexual abuse. Everyone has the duty to report the abuse.

A child who has been or is being sexually abused often will act out. Behavioral changes may be blatant or very subtle. Indicators include poor grades in a child who has previously had good grades, or a child who has not had good grades may suddenly excel at school. The child may appear withdrawn or revert to infantile behavior. The child may begin bedwetting, refuse to go to bed, or show an irrational fear of a specific person or a certain place. An abused child may have poor peer relationships and isolate themselves from peers.