Child Molestation in Criminal Law

One of the most heinous and, unfortunately, most common crimes is child molestation, which is used to describe any sexual activity between an adult and a child. There are several different specific offenses under the umbrella of child molestation, including crimes which don’t involve any physical contact, such as the dissemination of pornography to children.

Essentially, child molestation refers to any sexual activity between an adult and a child under the age of consent. The age of consent varies from state-to-state, but ranges from sixteen to eighteen years of age. Children under the age of consent are not legally able to consent to sexual activity, which means that regardless of the willingness of the minor, sexual activity is still a crime.

It is thought that between 60 and 80 percent of child molestation crimes are committed by someone the child knows, such as a parent, a family member, a teacher or a coach. Child molestation can occur just about anywhere: the home, at school, or even in a shopping mall. Children who are the victims of child molestation rarely report the abuse to an adult, which is why many cases of child molestation go undetected.

Child molestation is considered an offense of opportunity, which means that all child molesters are not pedophiles. A pedophile is an adult who has a sexual predilection toward children. Most pedophiles are not attracted to adults of the same or opposite sex, and have legitimate relationships with other adults as a disguise for their pedophilia. Child molesters usually commit their crimes because children are easy to take advantage of. They might not necessarily be attracted to children in general, but they think they can get away with it.