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Frequently Asked Questions: Child Molestation
Frequently Asked Questions: Personal Injury
Article: Child Molestation
According to the justice department, as many as one in four girls and one in seven boys are the victims of sexual abuse. » More …
The most important thing any adult can do upon disclosure by a child of a sexual abuse offense is to provide an immediately supportive environment - one that demonstrates to the child that you take them seriously and seek to calm, comfort and protect them. Children who receive negative, doubting or unhelpful reactions upon disclosure show significantly worse psychological damage resulting from the abuse. Although it is often highly uncomfortable to hear the accusations, it's critical for the child's wellbeing to respond effectively and ensure that the child feels supported and protected. Your next step should be to seek help from a guidance counselor, family therapist, law enforcement, a member of the clergy, an attorney... anyone you feel comfortable entrusting this information and the safety of your child.
Unfortunately, child molestation can have traumatic short- and long-term affects on its victims. The psychological effects include clinical depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, dissociative and anxiety disorders, eating disorders, poor self-esteem, somatization (a disorder in which the individual complains of physical symptoms that have no organic basis or explanation), neurosis, sexualized behavior, and school or learning problems. People who were sexually abused as children have a high likelihood for substance abuse, destructive behavior, criminality and suicide.
The risk of psychological damage is greater if the abuser is a relative, if the abuse involved penetration or attempted penetration, or if threats or force are used.
Children are also likely to suffer physical harm from sexual abuse, including infection, sexually transmitted disease, lacerations, and even damage to major internal organs. There have been cases in which young children have died as the result of trauma to the genitals and rectum and sexual mutilation. Numerous studies show that child sexual abuse also has a notable negative impact on brain functioning and development in its victims.
The vast majority of perpetrators are family members or close family acquaintances. Studies show that 30% of sexual abuse offenders are relatives of the child, such as often fathers, uncles or cousins - father-daughter and father-stepdaughter sexual abuse is the most common form of incest. About 60% of child molestation offenders are family acquaintances such as friends of the family, babysitters, or neighbors. Strangers are responsible for child sexual abuse in only about 10% of cases.
Most child sexual abuse is committed by men; women commit about 14% of offenses reported against boys and 6% of offenses reported against girls. Most child sexual abuse perpetrators are defined as "pedophiles" - an adult with persistent feelings of attraction toward prepubescent children, whether acted on or not.
No. Under the law, a minor is legally incapable of consenting to sexual activity. Even if they appear to consent, the law holds that they are incapable of doing so and therefore any apparent consent they give is void.
A range of indecent or sexual activities between an adult and a child fall into the category of child molestation:
- Penetrative contact with the minor's body for the purpose of sexual gratification
- Exposing a child to pornography or the sexual acts of others
- Victimizing a minor for the purpose of advancement, sexual gratification or profit, such as prostituting the child, or creating and trafficking in child pornography
- Exposing one's genitals to a child for the purpose of sexual gratification
- Internet/ chat room solicitation of a child
Child molestation refers to offenses in which an adult engages in sexual activity with a legal minor or exploits a minor for the purpose of sexual gratification. Commonly referred to as child sexual abuse, child molestation is a form of child abuse, with severe criminal and civil penalties.
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