What is CSA?
An individual who was sexually abused as a child is an adult survivor of childhood sexual abuse (CSA).
Childhood Sexual Abuse is a form of child abuse that includes sexual activity with a minor. A child cannot consent to any form of sexual activity, period. When a perpetrator engages with a child this way, they are committing a crime that can have lasting effects on the victim for years. For life.
Childhood sexual abuse does not need to include physical contact between a perpetrator and a child.
“How much strength does it take to hurt a little girl? How much strength does it take for the girl to get over it? Which one of them do you think is stronger?”
By the very definition of a child, any exposure to sex is abusive.
Although it may be tempting to 'rank' sexual exposure, it is more important to understand that there is no way to 'score' the trauma caused by childhood abuse of any kind. As human beings we each experience life differently and what may be severely impacting to one, may be less so to another.
The list on the right contains some of the common forms of childhood sexual abuse, any one of which has the ability to damage the emotional development of a child.
Exhibitionism, or exposing oneself
Fondling
Intercourse or sodomy
Masturbation in the presence of a minor or forcing the minor to masturbate
Obscene phone calls, text messages, or digital interaction
Producing, owning, or sharing pornographic images or movies of children
Sex of any kind with a minor, including vaginal, oral, or anal
Sex trafficking
Any other sexual conduct that is harmful to a child's mental, emotional, or physical welfare
The facts
Child sexual abuse is far more prevalent than most people realize. It is likely the most prevalent health problem children face with the most serious array of consequences.
About one in 10 children will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday.
About one in seven girls and one in 25 boys with be sexually abused before they turn 18. 1 This year, there will be about 400,000* babies born in the U.S. that will become victims of child sexual abuse
Identified incidents of child sexual abuse are declining, although there is no clear indication of a cause. The number of identified incidents of child sexual abuse decreased at least 47% from 1993 to 2005-2006.
Even with declining rates of reported sexual abuse, the public is not fully aware of the magnitude of the problem. The primary reason is that only about 38% of child victims disclose the fact they have been sexually abused. Some never disclose.
Most people think of adult rape as a crime of great proportion and significance and are unaware that children are victimized at a much higher rate than adults.
Nearly 70% of all reported sexual assaults (including assaults on adults) occur to children aged 17 and under.
Youths have higher rates of sexual assault victimization than do adults. In 2000, the rate for youths aged 12 to 17 was 2.3 times higher than for adults.