What are we talking about?

Sexual abuse of children and young people can take many forms.  Because of this different terms are used, such as Child Sexual Abuse, Child Sexual Exploitation, Grooming or Harmful Sexual Behaviour. 

These are all different strands of the sexual abuse of children and young people.

We want you to feel confident that you understand definitions so that you can protect the next child from abuse.

Child Sexual Abuse

Child Sexual Abuse is when a child or young person is tricked into sexual activities they are emotionally or physically not ready for. They might not understand that what's happening is abuse or that it's wrong. They might be afraid to tell someone.

Sexual abuse can happen anywhere – and it can happen in person or online.

It's never a child's fault they were sexually abused – it's important to make sure children know this.

Child sexual abuse includes touching and non-touching activity such as -

 - exhibitionism (urge, fantasy, or act of exposing one’s genitals to non-consenting people, particularly strangers )

 - exposure to pornography (making a person under the age of 18 watch pornographic films or images)

 - voyeurism (watching others when they are naked or engaged in sexual activity.)

It can occur offline or online, such as when an adult or adolescent communicates in a sexual manner by phone or internet with a child. It can also include viewing sexual images of children and young people up to the age of 18 online.

To view sexual images of children is to participate in the abuse of a child.  Some individuals that do so may also be abusing children they know.  Some do not, but all individuals who look at this kind of material need help to stop this kind of behaviour and support to prevent their behaviour from becoming even more serious.

Child Sexual Exploitation

Child Sexual Exploitation is a form of child sexual abuse.

Child Sexual Exploitation is a form of child sexual abuse in which a person of any age takes advantage of a power imbalance to force or entice a child into engaging in sexual activity. As with other forms of child sexual abuse, the presence of perceived consent does not change the abusive nature of the act.

When a child or young person is exploited they might be given things, like gifts, drugs, money, status and affection, with the expectation that they will engage in sexual activities

Children and young people can be trafficked into or within the UK to be sexually exploited. They can be moved around the country and abused by being forced to take part in sexual activities, often with more than one person. Young people in gangs can also be sexually exploited.

Grooming

Grooming is when someone builds a relationship, trust and emotional connection with a child or young person so they can manipulate, exploit and abuse them.

Children and young people who are groomed can be sexually abused, exploited or trafficked.

Protective adults can be groomed as well in order to gain access to children and young people.

Harmful Sexual Behaviour 

There is no consistent or universally agreed meaning of the term ‘harmful sexual behaviour’, but here is one useful definition:

"Sexual behaviours expressed by children and young people under the age of 18 years old that are developmentally inappropriate, may be harmful towards self or others and / or be abusive towards another child, young person or adult." 

Examples of harmful sexual behaviour can include sexual touching of others without consent, taking/sharing sexual images of other children, or engaging much younger children in sexual conversation/activity.

It is important to establish whether the sexual behaviour is problematic or abusive. Sexual behaviour may be abusive if:

•            It involves others without their true agreement or consent

•            It involves force or threats

•            It involves physical or emotional violence

•            The other person involved is not equal to the child (physically/emotionally) or in a position of power.

•            It involves persuasion, bribery, pressure, coercion

•            It is against the rules/against the law 

Abuse of children with disabilities

Children with a disability are three times as likely to suffer sexual abuse than other children.

Some disabled children have difficulty reporting concerns or abuse. Many of the ways open to children, such as telephone helplines, are not accessible to all disabled children.