Child Sexual Abuse Statistics Are Astounding! I'm Glad World Leaders Are Tackling This Horrific Problem Head On! These Children Are Our Future!

I have taken the following information from Wikipedia to enlighten folks about the real extensive damage that is done to a child when they have been sexually abused. Pay close attention to the unbelievable statistics! I was blown away by these statistics that are almost 1/3 of society. I cannot repeat it enough, these children are our future LITERALLY! We need to do everything in our power to help them now and protect them from child predators! It's important that we understand cause and effect. The end-result of not doing anything is tramautic disorder in adulthood for the victims and then most of the time the victims become repeat offenders as adults perpetuating the dis-ease creating a dysfunctional society. It's an endless vicious cycle unless we take preventative measures now and educate the public that this is WRONG and will NOT BE TOLERATED BY SOCIETY! It will get progressively worse! You think it's bad now, imagine how it will be 5 or even 10 years from now if the problem is growing exponentially?!?! I don't even want to know! A solution could be to provide children a safe haven or refuge. Unfortunately, the little children are defenseless, vulnerable, trusting and are made to fear their predator that most would probably not turn them in.

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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 molester or molestor or abuser or sexual abuser. 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

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.

Sexual abuse of children and 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. 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.

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, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, other mental illnesses (including borderline personality disorder and dissociative identity disorder), propensity to re-victimization in adulthood, and physical injury to the child, among other problems.

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.

Approximately 15% to 25% of women and 5% to 15% of men were sexually abused when they were children. 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. Most offenders who abuse pre-pubescent children are pedophiles, however a small percentage do not meet the diagnostic criteria for pedophilia.