Definition of childhood sexual abuse
"The exploitation of a child or adolescent in sexual activities with an adult, or anyone in a dominant position, in which the child is used as a sexual object for the gratification of that person's needs or desires, and to which the child is unable to give consent due to the unequal power in the relationship". Liza Morgan
Who Abuses
Abuse happens within all social groups, classes, races and religions. Society tends to perceive that it is the male who is the perpetrator and the female as victim. However, sexual abuse is perpetrated on male and female children by male and female adults .
The trauma of childhood sexual abuse endures into adult life. Past memories of the abuse may lie dormant for many years, repressed or pushed to the back of conscious thought as a way of dealing with unwanted memories.
However, the harmful effects that are a consequence of a victim's past abuse persist into adult life and result in health, relationship, marital and family problems, inhibiting development and the fulfillment of people's potential.
