CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

 CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

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CHILD SEX ABUSE

    Child sex abuse is defined as activity, behavior, sexual in nature,

between an adult forced onto child. This includes sexual touching,

exhibitionism, exposure to pornography, vouyerism, etc.

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PREVELANCE

     The real prevalence of child sex abuse is not known because

many victims do not disclose any of their abuse. Many 

professionals, in the field, believe there's a 20% prevalence.

     In adult retrospective studies it has shown that in women,

this effects 1 in 4; in males, 1 in 6, respectively, will be

sexually abused before they are 18 years old. That leaves 42

million adult survivors over the years.

  The primary reason that the public is not sufficiently aware of

as problem bc up to 75% of all victims never tell anyone.

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ADULT RAPE

     Most people think of adult rape as a crime of great proportion

and significance. Children are abused at a much larger rate than

adults. Nearly 70% of all sexual assaults reported are in children

under the age of 17. The rate and prevelance for youths, ages

12-17 is 3 times higher than that of adults.

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VULNERABILITY

    No child is immune to abuse. It crosses gender, age, ethnicity,

race, and background. Perpetrators report that they look for

a passive, quiet, troubled, lonely children from broken homes

where there is a single parent.

  Perpetrators frequently seek out children who are very trusting

and they work to establish a trusting relationship to proactively

try to establish a trusting relationship. Perpetrators also

frequently work to establish ties to the victim's family as well.

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FACTORS

  Family structure is the most important risk factor in child

sexual abuse. The risk increases when children live with a

step-parent or a single parent. Children without parents, in the

foster home system, are abused at a rate 10 times more than

any other group. The highest risk is a home with a single mother.

   -gender plays a factor. Females are 5 times more likely to

be abused. Children are most vulnerable between ages 7-13 

years. The median age is 9.

   -African-Americans children have twice the risk than their

white peers of becoming a victim.

  -the risk of sexual abuse tripled in homes where parents were NOT

in the workforce.

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WHO ARE THE PERPETRATORS?

   Most child sexual abusers are men. Additionally, many are 

well-respected members of the community. Perpetrators are drawn

to settings where they have easy access to children. Examples include

school, clubs, churches. Most victims know their offender.

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WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE?

    Many predators groom both the victim and the victim's family.

Many establish a trusting relationship with victim's family in order to

have continued access to the child.

    Perpetrators employ, successfully,  inappropriate comments,

and more inappropriate touching and behaviors so insidious that the

abuse is well under way before the child/victim recognizes the situation

for what it truly is.

   Strategies employed to gain compliance of victims include the addition

and a withdrawal of things like attention, affection, or even material goods.

- 81% of child sex victims for all ages occur in one-perpetrator

circumstances

-most abuse occurs within a residence; typically the home of the victim or

the perpetrator. 

-84% of all child abuse, in children under 12, occurs in a residence

- sexual assaults on children are more likely to occur at 8am, noon,

and between the hours of 3pm-4pm. For older children, 12-17 years

of age, peak assault times were in the evening.

-1 in 7 incidents of child sex assault occur on school days and often

after school hours. Peak from 3pm-4pm.

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SIGNS

    Most victims do not display physical evidence of abuse bc the body

heals itself in time; and heal quickly. Genital irritation, infections, UTI's,

painful bowel movements should all be further investigated. Additional

signs and symptoms are depression, anxiety, loss of appetite, loss of 

interest in activities once enjoyed, withdrawal from friends and family,

engaging in self-harm, and suicidal thoughts.