Child Sexual Abuse

Child Sexual Abuse occurs when a person responsible for a child’s care uses a child or allows a child to be used for sexual purposes. Child sexual abuse can range from; a parent/caretaker permitting or exposing a child to sexual acts from prostitution to molestation; it includes exposure, fondling or masturbation, pornography, intercourse or rape and incest. The sexual involvement may or may not be accompanied by physical abuse.

Legal Definitions
Consent
Statistics
Phases of Child Sexual Abuse
Abuser Strategies
Reporting Abuse

Legal Definitions

Sexual Interference (Against Children Under 14 and under 16)
It is a crime if someone, for a sexual purpose, touches any part of the body of a child under the age of 14 unless the child is over 12 years of age and there is a 2 year age difference.
It is a crime if someone more than 5 years older than a child who is either 14 or 15 years old to any part of their body for a sexual purpose.
It is a crime for anyone to engage in any sexual activity with a child under 12 years old.

Invitation to Sexual Touching (Against Children Under 14 and under 16)
It is a crime if someone, for a sexual purpose, encourages a child to touch him with any part of the child’s body or with an object. It is also a crime if someone, for a sexual purpose, encourages a child to touch his or her own body, or the body of someone else. Unless the child is over 12 and there is less than a 2 year age difference.
It is a crime if someone more than 5 years older than a child who is either 14 or 15 years old to touch him or her with any part of the child’s body or with an object or encourages the child to touch his or her own body or the body of someone else.

Sexual Exploitation (Against Children 14-17)
It is a crime if someone, who is in a position of trust or authority towards a young person or is a person with whom the young person is in a relationship of dependence, commits the offences described above.

Incest
It is a crime if a blood relation has sexual intercourse with another blood relation (e.g. parent, brother, half-brother, grandfather).

Exposure
It is a crime if someone, for a sexual purpose, exposes his or her genital organs to a person who is under the age of 14 or if the person is more than 5 years older than a 14 or 15 year old child. Exposure is against the law toward persons of any age if it happens in public.

Consent

Children Under 12
This age group is never considered able to consent to sexual activity.
Children between 12 and 14 years of age
This age group is unable to consent to sexual acts except under specific circumstances involving sexual activity with peers (they must be no more than two years apart in age).
Children between the ages of 14 and 16
This age group is unable to consent to sexual acts except under specific circumstances involving sexual activity with peers (they must be no more than five years apart in age)
Children between the ages of 16 and 18
This age group cannot consent to sexual activity with an older person in a position of trust or authority.

Statistics

*24% of Canadian girls under age 16 have experienced rape or coercive sex and 54% of girls under age 16 have experienced some form of unwanted sexual attention (Russell & the Canadian Federation of University Women, 1996).
*Girls are 2 to 3 times more likely (than boys) to experience childhood sexual abuse (Johnston & Saenz, 1997).
*Girls with disabilities are four times more likely (than the national average) to be sexually abused (Razack, 1994).
*Most reported abusers are male (McCarty, 1992).
*It is the offender who initiates the sexual activity (Health Canada, 1997).


Phases of Child Sexual Abuse

The dynamics of sexual encounters between adults and children usually fall within a predictable pattern. Abuse usually occurs in four phases:

Engagement Phase
During this phase the perpetrator will look for the opportunity to access the child in order to develop a relationship with the child. They will then use inducements; games, rewards or bribes to engage the child in sexual activities.

Sexual Interaction Phase
The progression of exposure to fondling to some form of penetration is very predictable.

Secrecy Phase
The perpetrator will use secrecy in order to continue the abuse and the child will often keep the secret for fear of getting in trouble or may enjoy the sexual stimulation, the enhancement of self-esteem, and the feeling of being important and grown up

Disclosure Phase
There are two types of child sexual abuse disclosure: accidental and purposeful.
Accidental disclosure; the abuse is revealed accidentally because of external circumstances or purposeful disclosure; the victim consciously decides to tell an outsider about the sexual abuse.

For a more detailed description of the phases of Child Sexual Abuse download this document

Abuser Strategies

An abuser will use a variety of strategies to coerce a child into sexual activities.

Here are the coercive ways abusers convince children to get involved in sex.

1. Enticement
• Bribery: “If you do this for me, I’ll buy tickets to a concert.”
• Game: “I want to teach you this fun game.”


2. Entrapment
• Guilt: “You have to do this, I got you on the volleyball team, you owe me!”
• Fear: “If you don’t do this I’ll have to tell your parents that you’re smoking”


3. Verbal Threats
• Threat of harm to the victim ‘‘You’re really going to get it if you don’t”
• Threat of harm to the abuser “If you tell, I’ll go to jail”
• Threat of withdrawal of affection “If you don’t do this, I won’t love you anymore”
• Threat of family breaking up “If you tell it will really hurt your mom”
• Threat to loved ones “I’ll hurt your mother if you don’t do it”


4. Verbal Coercion
• “It’s okay – everybody does it, it’s part of growing up.”
• “I’m just checking you out, now that you’re getting older”
• “What’s the matter? Don’t you like me?”


5. Isolation
• “I had to come straight home from school, I wasn’t allowed friends.”


6. Use of Physical Force
• “He would beat me if I tried to resist.”

Some of the strategies above are part of what is called the sexual grooming of children. This information sheet details what sexual grooming is.


If You Suspect Child Sexual Abuse

There are some warning signs that sexual abuse may be occuring. This is an information sheet that details some of the signs but of course any suspicion even without signs should be reported to Social Development.

Report the abuse
The safety and well being of the child is dependent on action being taken to stop the abuse. Adults are obligated to report suspected child abuse. After you report an abusive situation, an investigation will be started and a social worker will decide what action needs to be taken to ensure the safety of the child. Reports can be made anonymously to your local Child Protection or Welfare Agency. When you call, a social worker will ask you:

1.Your name
2.The child’s name and address
3.The name of the alleged abuser
4.The incident that prompted you to report

Medical Concerns

It is important that the child receive medical attention as soon as possible. Child Protection will arrange for the child to be examined and treated by a court declared physician but you should not wait for this to be arranged - take the child to see a doctor as soon as possible. There is the possibility of injury if a child has performed fellatio, simulated intercourse, or completed anal/vaginal intercourse. Sex with an adult can result in rectal or vaginal tears or an inability to control bowel movements. Sexually transmitted infections are also of great concern. They can surface in the throat or genitalia and can be left for years untreated if the child is not taken to a physician.

Support the child

Children do not tend to make false allegations nor misinterpret appropriate adult-child activities as sexual abuse (Conte, 1986).


1. Believe the child and tell the child you believe her/him.
2. Say that what happened was not her/his fault. The child may blame her or himself.
3. Tell the child that you are glad the child told you about the abuse.
4. Do not panic or overreact. The child may become upset.
5. Respect the child’s privacy. Don’t discuss it in front of others.
6. Do not criticize the child("I told you not to go into his home").
7. Tell the child that, together, you are going to get help. Tell the child what will happen after you report the abuse.
8. Remember that children rarely lie about sexual abuse.

Consider counselling
Ignoring and not talking about the incident will make it more difficult for the child to recover. Look for a counsellor who is experienced in working with sexual victimization. Ask them how many children they have worked with in the past.

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