Child sexual abuse is any form of sexual contact in which a child is used for the sexual gratification of the abuser. Children are incapable of consenting to sexual contact with an adult because adults are authority figures. Victims of this crime are both boys and girls.

People who abuse girls are generally heterosexual males. People who abuse boys can be male or female; however, most abusers are heterosexual men. Someone the child knows and trusts does most abuse. Incest is a specific form of child sexual abuse, in which the abuser is a relative.

Sexual Assault is When an Older Person: · Touches a child for sexual gratification · Has a child touch him or her sexually · Takes pictures of a child for sexual reasons · Shows a child pornographic pictures or videos · Shows a child private areas for sexual reasons · Masturbates in front of a child · Has a child witness others being assaulted 

Facts You Should Know

• There are up to 500,000 American children sexually abused yearly

• 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 5 boys will experience some form of sexual abuse before reaching their 18th birthday!

• In 1 out of 5 cases the abuse is abuse is by someone the child knows. Thirty-eight percent are committed by a close relative.

• Child sexual abuse is rarely a one-time event. The abuse usually lasts an average of one to four years.

• Offenders who molest girls will have an average of 50 victims, while offenders who molest boys will average 150 victims

• The offender always bears full responsibility for the sexual abuse of a child · Psychological force and emotional manipulations of the child are most common, with negative results for the child's self esteem and emotional development

• Studies show that when a child is believed and supported that recovery is greatly enhanced

• Children rarely lie about sexual abuse. In fact, in all sexual assault cases reported to police only 2% are false reports

• Approximately 70% of adolescents who experience sexual abuse will not tell a parent. Less than 10% of all sexual assault is reported to law enforcement