Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or (often pejoratively) molester.^[1] The term also covers any behavior by any adult towards a child to stimulate either the adult or child sexually. When the victim is younger than the age of consent, it is referred to as child sexual abuse.

Types of sexual abuse[link]

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There are many types of sexual abuse, including:

• Non-consensual, forced physical sexual behavior (rape and sexual assault).
• Unwanted touching, either of a child or an adult.
• Sexual kissing, fondling, exposure of genitalia, and voyeurism, exhibitionism and up to sexual assault.
• Exposing a child to pornography.
• Saying sexually suggestive statements towards a child (child molestation).
• Also applies to non-consensual verbal sexual demands towards an adult.
• The use of a position of trust to compel otherwise unwanted sexual activity without physical force (or can lead to attempted rape or sexual assault).
• Incest (see also sexual deviancy).
• Certain forms of sexual harassment.

Spousal sexual abuse[link]

Spousal sexual abuse is a form of domestic violence. When the abuse involves forced sex, it may constitute rape upon the other spouse, depending on the jurisdiction, and may also constitute an assault.

Positions of power[link]

Sexual misconduct can occur where one person uses a position of authority to compel another person to engage in an otherwise unwanted sexual activity. For example, sexual harassment in the workplace might involve an employee being coerced into a sexual situation out of fear of being dismissed. Sexual harassment in education might involve a student submitting to the sexual advances of a person in authority in fear of being punished, for example by being given a failing grade.

Several sexual abuse scandals have involved abuse of religious authority and often cover-up among non-abusers, including cases in the Southern Baptist religion,^[2] Catholic Church, Episcopalian religion,^[3] Islam,^[4] Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutheran church,^[5] Methodist Church,^[6] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,^[7] the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Orthodox Judaism,^[8] other branches of Judaism,^[9] and various cults.

Child sexual abuse[link]

Leave me alone, dirty cuckold, 1905, by Martin van Maële

Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which a child is abused for the sexual gratification of an adult or older adolescent.^[10][11] In addition to direct sexual contact, child sexual abuse also occurs when an adult indecently exposes their genitalia to a child, asks or pressures a child to engage in sexual activities, displays pornography to a child, or uses a child to produce child pornography.^[10][12][13]

Effects of child sexual abuse include guilt and self-blame, flashbacks, nightmares, insomnia, fear of things associated with the abuse (including objects, smells, places, doctor's visits, etc.), self-esteem issues, sexual dysfunction, chronic pain, addiction, self-injury, suicidal ideation, somatic complaints, depression,^[14] post-traumatic stress disorder,^[15] anxiety,^[16] other mental illnesses (including borderline personality disorder)^[17] propensity to re-victimization in adulthood,^[18] and physical injury to the child, among other problems.^[19] Victims of child sex abuse are over six times more likely to attempt suicide^[20] and eight times more likely to repeatedly attempt suicide.^[20] The abusers are also more likely to commit suicide. Much of the harm caused to victims becomes apparent years after the abuse happens.

Sexual abuse by a family member is a form of incest, and results in more serious and long-term psychological trauma, especially in the case of parental incest.^[21]

Approximately 15% to 25% of women and 5% to 15% of men were sexually abused when they were children.^{[22][23][24][25][26]} Most sexual abuse offenders are acquainted with their victims; approximately 30% are relatives of the child, most often fathers, uncles or cousins; around 60% are other acquaintances such as friends of the family, babysitters, or neighbors; strangers are the offenders in approximately 10% of child sexual abuse cases. Most child sexual abuse is committed by men; women commit approximately 14% of offenses reported against boys and 6% of offenses reported against girls.^[22] Most offenders who abuse pre-pubescent children are pedophiles;^[27][28] however, a small percentage do not meet the diagnostic criteria for pedophilia.^[29]

Sexual abuse of people with developmental disabilities[link]

People with developmental disabilities are often victims of sexual abuse. According to research, people with disabilities are at a greater risk for victimization of sexual assault or sexual abuse because of lack of understanding (Sobsey & Varnhagen, 1989). The rate of sexual abuse happening to people with disabilities is shocking, yet most of these cases will go unnoticed.

Sexual abuse and minorities[link]

Sexual abuse is a big issue in some minority communities. In 2007, a number of Hispanic victims were included in the settlement of a massive sexual abuse case involving the Los Angeles archdiocese of the Catholic Church.^[30] To address the issue of sexual abuse in the African-American community, the prestigious Leeway Foundation^[31] sponsored a grant to develop www.blacksurvivors.org,^[32] a national online support group and resource center for African-American sexual abuse survivors. The non-profit group was founded in 2008 by Sylvia Coleman, an African-American sexual abuse survivor and national sexual abuse prevention expert.

Survivor[link]

The term survivor is sometimes used for a living victim, even of usually non-fatal harm, to honor and empower the strength of an individual to heal, in particular a living victim of sexual abuse or assault.^[33] For example, there are the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests and The Survivors Trust.

See also[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Sorenson, Susan B. (1997). Violence and Sexual Abuse at Home: Current Issues in Spousal Battering and Child Maltreatment, New York: Haworth Press. ISBN 1-56024-681-2.
• Leigh Ann Reynolds. "People with Mental Retardation & Sexual Abuse. The Arc Q & A", Arc National Headquarters, 1997
• Baladerian, N. (1991). "Sexual abuse of people with developmental disabilities". Sexuality and Disability 9 (4): 323–335. DOI:10.1007/BF01102020. 
• Sobsey, D.(1994). Violence and Abuse in the Lives of People With Disabilities: The End of Silent Acceptance? Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. ISBN 978-1-55766-148-7
• Sobsey D. and Varnhagen, C.(1989). "Sexual abuse and exploitation of people with disabilities: Toward Prevention and Treatment". In M. Csapo and L. Gougen (Eds) Special Education Across Canada (pp. 199–218). Vancouver Centre for Human Developmental Research
• Valenti-Hien, D. and Schwartz, L.(1995). "The sexual abuse interview for those with developmental disabilities". James Stanfield Company, Santa Barbara: California.
• White-Davis, Donna Lovers in the Time of Plague copyright 2009

External links[link]

• Sexual abuse at the Open Directory Project
• Child Sexual Abuse at the National Institutes of Health