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Sexual Abuse
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Sexual abuse involves sexual contact between a child or teenager
and an adult or significantly older, more powerful person.
Children are not developmentally capable of understanding or
resisting sexual contact and may be psychologically and socially
dependent upon the offender.
Sex molesters typically cause the child to believe that the child is to blame for the abuse. Sexual abuse includes inappropriate sexual touching or kissing, physical sexual activity, intercourse, oral sex, anal intercourse, inappropriate verbal sexual stimulation, taking or showing sexually explicit photographs, and exposing a child or teenager to pornography or adult sexual activity. Sex molesters are not usually strangers. They are found in every socioeconomic group and in every religious denomination. The greatest incidence of sexual abuse is within the family or household. |
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