Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another, when that force falls short of being a 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.

[edit] Types of sexual abuse

There are many types of sexual abuse, including:

• Non-consensual, forced physical sexual behavior such as rape or sexual assault
• Sexual kissing, fondling, exposure of genitalia, and voyeurism.
• Exposing a child to pornography.
• Saying sexually suggestive statements towards a child.
• The use of a position of trust to compel otherwise unwanted sexual activity without physical force
• Incest, when it is coerced by force or emotional manipulation.

[edit] Spousal sexual abuse

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.

[edit] Positions of power

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 university student submitting to a professor's sexual advances in fear of 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 Catholic Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,^[2] the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Orthodox Judaism,^[3] and various cults.

[edit] Sexual abuse of minors

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.^[4][5] 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.^[4][6][7]

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,^[8] post-traumatic stress disorder,^[9] anxiety,^[10], other mental illnesses (including borderline personality disorder and dissociative identity disorder^{[citation needed]}), propensity to re-victimization in adulthood,^[11] and physical injury to the child, among other problems.^[12]
Sexual abuse by a family member is a form of incest, and can result in more serious and long-term psychological trauma, especially in the case of parental incest.^[13]

Approximately 15% to 25% of women and 5% to 15% of men were sexually abused when they were children.^{[14][15][16][17][18]} 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.^[14] Most offenders who abuse pre-pubescent children are pedophiles;^[19][20] however, a small percentage do not meet the diagnostic criteria for pedophilia.^[21]

[edit] Sexual abuse of people with developmental disabilities

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.

[edit] Sexual abuse and minorities

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 ^[22] To address the issue of sexual abuse in the African-American community, the prestigious Leeway Foundation ^[23] sponsored a grant to develop: www.blacksurvivors.org [3], 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.

[edit] See also

• Cinderella effect
• False allegation of child sexual abuse
• Journal of Sexual Aggression
• Psychological manipulation
• RAINN
• Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment
• The Survivors Trust

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

• 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

• 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 978-1557661487

• 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.

[edit] External links

• "Abuse Survivor Website" Support forum & chat
• What is Sexual Abuse? Video
• Sexual abuse at the Open Directory Project
• Child Sexual Abuse at the National Institutes of Health