What is child abuse?

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A child or young person is sexually abused when any person uses their power over the child to involve that child in sexual activity.

When parents or caregivers are unwilling or unable to protect a child from further abuse, it becomes a child protection concern requiring statutory intervention.

Under Victorian child welfare law a child is any person under seventeen years of age. The use of the term child in this booklet includes adolescents.

Child sexual abuse involves a wide range of sexual activity.

It may include;

• fondling of the child's genitals (or getting the child to fondle the perpetrator's genitals);
• masturbation (with the child as either observer or participant);
• oral sex (either fellatio or cunnilingus);
• vaginal or anal penetration by a penis, finger, or any other object;
• fondling of breasts;
• voyeurism (regular observation of the child) or exhibitionism;
• It can also include exposing the child to pornography or using the child for the purposes of pornography or prostitution.

Other terms for child sexual abuse include child sexual assault, child sexual victimisation, child exploitation, child sexual misuse, child molestation, child sexual maltreatment and child rape.

Abuse occurs when a person uses their authority, either by using force or not, to get a child to participate in activities that are for the adult's or older person's sexual gratification. Children always have less power than adults. The closer the relationship between the child and the adult, the greater the dependency and therefore the greater the power that the adult has over the child.

Children lack the necessary information and maturity to make an 'informed' decision about sexual activities with an older person. They do not have adult knowledge of sex and sexual relationships, or the social meaning of sexuality and its potential consequences.

Sexual activity between a child and older person is inappropriate because children are never in a position to give informed consent to such activities.

• Child sexual abuse is a criminal offence;
• Children may be sexually abused by family members (incest), by acquaintances or by strangers;
• Child sexual abuse occurs in all types of families, regardless of income or education level;
• Children of all ages from babies to adolescents, may be sexually abused. Child sexual abuse may occur once or many times over a period of months or years;
• Over ninety per cent of child sexual abuse perpetrators are male;
• Child sexual abuse happens to both boys and girls, however boys are abused far less often than girls. Girls are more likely to be abused by a family member, whereas boys are more likely to be abused by someone known to them outside the family.

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Disclaimer Copyright Updated: 27 May 2009