12 Shattered Innocence: The Reality of Child Sexual Abuse

This chapter is based on the Social Ecological Model.

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a type of child abuse that happens when an adult or older person involves a child in any sexual behavior (RAINN, n.d.). A child cannot give consent to any type of sexual activity, so anyone who engages with them this way commits a crime that can have long-term damaging effects (RAINN, n.d.).

According to experts from Positive Childhood Alliance North Carolina (2024), the two main types of child sexual abuse are touching and non-touching.

• Touching CSA can include:
  • Touching a child’s genitals
  • Having the child touch another person’s genitals
  • Inserting foreign objects inside the child
  • Engaging in sexual games
• Non-touching CSA can include:
  • Exposing one’s genitals to a child
  • Showing them pornography
  • Making them pose in a sexual way to photograph them
  • Watching a child undress or use the bathroom
  • Trafficking or prostitution of the child

Child sexual abuse is one of the ten identified adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs. These are serious events that happen during childhood and can have many long-term impacts on the child, both physically and mentally. Potential effects include chronic health conditions, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, and an increased risk of suicide (Positive Childhood Alliance North Carolina, 2024).

CSA rates vary by location, gender, and sexual identity. As of 2024, the worldwide rate of CSA is around 13-18% for girls and about 8% for boys (Abdul et al., 2024). The United States CSA rates for all genders remain at five percent (Abdul et al., 2024). Females are much more likely to experience CSA than males (Martinello, 2019). Children who identify as part of a sexual minority group are two to three times more likely to experience child sexual abuse than those who do not (Martinello, 2019). However, the rate across ethnicities is similar for Whites, Blacks, and Latinos (Martinello, 2019). Education, prevention programs, and support from various people can address this problem and lower these numbers. 

Individual

Children should be educated on CSA to know how to act if an unfortunate situation occurs. Children must learn to report abuse to prevent their own (Martinello, 2019). The fear of not being believed causes many individuals to experience a concept known as “victim-blaming.” This idea argues that the responsibility belongs to the child in preventing their abuse, where children internalize and resist reporting their abuser to a trusted adult (Martinello, 2019). A child’s understanding of CSA is important in their sexual development and education (Martinello, 2019). Currently, sexual abuse programs teach children skills to prevent and/or avoid abuse. These skills can include “self-defense, consent, leaving the situation, disclosure and reporting of abuse, recognizing secrets, feelings and intuition, support systems and safe persons, acceptable and non-acceptable touch, body awareness, assigning guilt, and bullying” (Martinello, 2019).

One resource children and parents can use is Nemours Children’s Health Sexual Harassment website. This site provides helpful information on how individuals can respond to sexual harassment and support others who experience it (Gordon, 2024). It also provides examples of what sexual harassment can look like and how it can affect the victim (Gordon, 2024).

Another helpful resource is the TEDI Bear Children’s Advocacy Center in North Carolina. Their website provides helpful tips on how to protect children from sexual abuse, as well as multiple other resources and national helplines (East Carolina University, n.d.). Through this website, individuals can also schedule a free training session on CSA for various organizations (East Carolina University, n.d.).

Relationship

Parents, immediate family, and friends are the closest relationships most victims have and likely the ones that a child would go to if they needed help. While loved ones may not always be able to recognize the signs of a child being sexually abused, learning these signs can ultimately prevent the child from experiencing further abuse and trauma. Concerned adults can look for these common signs: withdrawal, mood swings, and avoidance (Langston, n.d.). If there is a belief that the child is being sexually abused, providing structure and consistency in their lives is a way to maintain a steady environment and a sense of safety (Langston, n.d.). Three key ways to help a victim of sexual abuse are: (1) let them know their emotions and feelings are validated and take everything said very seriously, (2) be supportive of what they say and ask how to help without being overbearing, and (3) remind them that it is not their fault (MCASA, n.d.). By having professional support for the parent and child to navigate through their feelings, the child can achieve healthier long- and short-term effects (RAINN, n.d.).

Community

Schools are ideal for delivering CSA education due to their large scale and cost-effectiveness (Finkelhor, 2009 and Tutty, 2000, as cited in Morris et al., 2016). Children who participated in a sexual education program as part of their curriculum gained invaluable knowledge that could potentially lead to the prevention of child sexual abuse (Martinello, 2019). In these programs, children learned to recognize that CSA victims can be both males and females and that abusers may very well be individuals that the child already knows, such as a relative or family friend. The health education provided allowed these children to feel safer and more in control of their situation (Martinello, 2019). Children who receive CSA education and partake in prevention programs decrease their self-blame, increase disclosure about their abuse, and decrease rates of further abuse and victimization (Finkelhor, 2009 and Walsh et al., 2015, as cited in Morris et al., 2016).

Children’s Trust of South Carolina is a statewide organization that provides funds for various family CSA prevention programs (Children’s Trust of South Carolina, 2024). In 2023, the Children’s Trust aided over 3000 families in connecting with the resource centers (Children’s Trust of South Carolina, 2024). The organization offers two family programs: Strengthening Families Program and Triple P (Positive Parenting Program) (Children’s Trust of South Carolina, 2024).

• The Strengthening Families Program helps families learn disciplinary strategies, strengthen resilience, reduce conflict, enhance parenting skills, and help children learn social cues and build relationships (Children’s Trust of South Carolina, 2024).
• Triple P provides South Carolina with models of how counties can support parents and prevent abuse and neglect (Children’s Trust of South Carolina, 2024).

Societal

In the United States, child sexual abuse policies vary depending on federal and state jurisdiction. When child abuse is suspected, child protection agencies investigate the claim. While the majority of the claims involve neglect, nine percent include sexual abuse (Casey Family Programs, 2019). The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) provides funding from the federal government to various state and local agencies as well as nonprofits that provide activities to protect and treat child abuse and neglect (National CASA/GAL Association for Children, 2022). The federal government passed CAPTA in 1974 and reauthorized the act in 2010 (Darkness to Light, 2025). Advocates must continue to lobby for funding to help decrease rates and strengthen families (Casey Family Programs, 2019).

In 2006, the U.S. Marshals Services established the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, which allows for the protection of children from sexual exploitation and violent crimes (U.S. Marshals Service, 2023). Since its passage, the U.S. Marshals Service has conducted over 39,000 federal investigations and arrested over 5,000 individuals who violated the act (U.S. Marshals Service, 2023). The act standardized the National Sex Offender Registry so law enforcement and the public can easily track those convicted of sex crimes (Jones, 2007, as cited in Spooner, 2011).

References

Abdul Latiff, M., Fang, L., Goh, D. A., & Tan, L. J. (2024). A systematic review of factors associated with disclosure of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect. 147. 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106564

Casey Family Programs. (2019, May 21). The child abuse prevention and treatment act: Keeping children safe and strengthening families in communities. https://www.casey.org/media/CAPTA-Paper_web.pdf

Children’s Trust of South Carolina. (2024, June 10). Be a champion for children. https://scchildren.org/   

Children’s Trust of South Carolina. (2024, May 31). Supporting programs. https://scchildren.org/programs/  

Darkness to Light. (2025, March 6). Child abuse protection laws. https://www.d2l.org/child-abuse-protection-laws/

East Caroling University. (n.d.). How to protect children from sexual abuse. https://tedibear.ecu.edu/how-to-protect-children-from-sexual-abuse/#:~:text=Childhelp’s%20National%20Child%20Abuse%20Hotline,cases%20of%20suspected%20child%20abuse

Gordon, L. P. (Ed.). (2024, April). Sexual harassment (for teens).  https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/harassment.html 

Langston, M. (n.d.). Mosac. https://www.mosac.net/ParentingVictims.aspx

Martinello, E. (2019, July 5). Applying the ecological systems theory to better understand and prevent child sexual abuse. Springer Nature. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334265936_Applying_the_Ecological_Systems_Theory_to_Better_Understand_and_Prevent_Child_Sexual_Abuse 

Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA). (n.d.). For friends & family of survivors.  https://mcasa.org/take-action/for-friends-family-of-survivors

Morris, M. C., Kouros, C. D., Janecek, K., Freeman, R., Mielock, A., & Garber, J. (2016, November 24). Community-level moderators of a school-based childhood sexual assault prevention program. Child Abuse & Neglect. 63. 295-306 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0145213416302174

National CASA/GAL Association for Children. (2022, February 28). Child abuse prevention and treatment act. https://nationalcasagal.org/advocate-for-children/advocate-for-legislation/capta/#:~:text=The%20Child%20Abuse%20Prevention%20and,treat%20child%20abuse%20and%20neglect. 

Positive Childhood Alliance North Carolina. (2024, August 20). Child sexual abuse definition & facts. https://preventchildabusenc.org/resource-hub/about-child-sexual-abuse/  

RAINN. (n.d.). Child sexual abuse. https://rainn.org/articles/child-sexual-abuse 

U.S. Marshals Service. (2023, September 19). Adam Walsh Act fifteenth anniversary. https://www.usmarshals.gov/news/press-release/adam-walsh-act-fifteenth-anniversary