what is Child Sexual Abuse

What is Child Sexual Abuse:
Engaging in one or multiple of the following behaviors with a minor:

• Exhibitionism, or exposing oneself to a minor
• Fondling
• Intercourse
• Masturbation in the presence of a minor or forcing the minor to masturbate
• Obscene phone calls, text messages, or digital interaction
• Producing, owning, or sharing pornographic images or movies of children
• Sex of any kind with a minor, including vaginal, oral, or anal
• Sex trafficking [exploiting children for sex, selling a child for sexual purposes]
• Any other sexual conduct that is harmful to a child's mental, emotional, or physical welfare

Child Abuse Stats:

• 34 percent of perpetrators in cases of child sexual abuse are family members.

Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement (2000).

• People who have been sexually assaulted are more likely to use drugs than the general public.
  • 3.4 times more likely to use marijuana
  • 6 times more likely to use cocaine
  • 10 times more likely to use other major drugs

DG Kilpatrick, CN Edumuds, AK Seymour. Rape in America: A Report to the Nation. Arlington, VA: National Victim Center and Medical University of South Carolina (1992).

• Sexual violence affects victims’ relationships 
  • 38% of victims of sexual violence experience work or school problems, which can include significant problems with a boss, coworker, or peer.
  • 37% experience family/friend problems, including getting into arguments more frequently than before, not feeling able to trust their family/friends, or not feeling as close to them as before the crime.
  • 79% of survivors who were victimized by a family member, close friend or acquaintance experience professional or emotional issues, including moderate to severe distress, or increased problems at work or school.

        Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Socio-emotional Impact of 
        Violent Crime (2014).

Common Signs of Child Sexual Abuse

• Signs that a teen may have been sexually abused:
  • Unusual weight gain or weight loss
  • Unhealthy eating patterns, like a loss of appetite or excessive eating
  • Signs of physical abuse, such as bruises
  • Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or other genital infections
  • Signs of depression, such as persistent sadness, lack of energy, changes in sleep or appetite, withdrawing from normal activities, or feeling “down”
  • Anxiety or worry
  • Falling grades
  • Changes in self-care, such as paying less attention to hygiene, appearance, or fashion than they usually do
  • Self-harming behavior
  • Expressing thoughts about suicide or suicide behavior
  • Drinking or drug use

https://rainn.org/articles/warning-signs-teens

• What can keep a victim of sexual abuse by a family member from telling someone?
  • They care about the abuser and what will happen to the abuser if they tell
  • Concern about other family members' reactions
    •  fear they won’t be believed 
    • will be accused of doing something wrong.
  • They may have already tried to tell someone what happened, but the abuse was ignored or minimized
  • They don’t realize they’ve been abused
  • They don’t know who to trust.
  • They may be afraid that the abuser will follow through with threats

https://rainn.org/articles/incest

• Common effects after sexual abuse occurs:
  • Self-Harm 
  • Sexually Transmitted Infections
  • Substance Abuse 
  • Dissociation 
  • Panic Attacks 
  • Eating Disorders 
  • Sleep Disorders 
  • Suicide 
  • Guilt, shame, and blame.
  • Intimacy and relationships issues
  • Difficulty setting boundaries
  • Self-esteem issues
  • Flashbacks

RAINN

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