What is child sexual abuse?
There are many forms of child sexual abuse. Some involve touch. Others do not. Some forms of abuse include:
Exposing one’s sexual body parts to a child
Sexual conversations with a child
Sending sexual emails, videos, or texts to (i.e., “sexting”) a child
Touching a child in a sexual manner – on any part of their body
Oral, vaginal, or anal sex with a minor who cannot give consent
Making, owning, or sharing images or videos of children that are sexually suggestive or explicit
Forcing a child to engage in any kind of sexual behavior
Leaving a child alone with someone who has a history of sexually abusing others
Helping someone else arrange to sexually abuse a child (trafficking)
How common is child sexual abuse?
The truth is – we can’t say with absolute accuracy. Some reports indicate that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused by age 18. Other research suggests those numbers are otherwise.
What we can say with certainty is: The sexual abuse of one child is too many!
Here are some websites where you can learn more about child sexual abuse statistics:
