Child sexual abuse: what are we talking about?

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that up to one billion children between the ages of 2 and 17 worldwide have been victims of physical, sexual, emotional abuse, or neglect (WHO, 2021). Of all these forms of maltreatment, sexual abuse is one of the most serious forms of violence and has devastating physical and emotional consequences for the children who experience it.

According to Save the Children, child sexual abuse involves the transgression of a child's intimate and personal boundaries. It consists of the imposition of sexually explicit behavior by one person (an adult or another minor) on a child, carried out in a context of inequality or power imbalance, usually through deception, force, lies, or manipulation. Child sexual abuse can include sexual contact, but also non-contact activities such as exhibitionism, exposing children to pornography, grooming , or using or manipulating children to produce sexually explicit visual material.

Let's break myths about child sexual abuse

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This is a phenomenon that affects everyone, as it transcends social strata, countries, races, gender, etc. Even so, some populations are especially vulnerable. This is the case for girls and adolescents, as well as children in institutional care, children with disabilities, children living in poverty and vulnerable situations, children from dysfunctional families, children with a history of sexual abuse, and children with a tendency towards isolation or difficulties relating to their peers (Ballesteros, 2023).

This is a genuine social and public health scourge that, although it has manifested itself throughout the history of civilization, it was not until the 20th century that the focus really shifted to the seriousness of the situation following the recognition of children's rights and the study of the serious consequences on the development and lives of the victims.

As reported by the Vicki Bernadet Foundation, it is estimated that 23-25% of girls and 10-15% of boys suffer sexual abuse before the age of 17, according to national and international studies. Sixty percent will receive no help whatsoever, and 90% will remain silent until adulthood.

The data is clear enough to understand the need for specialized care in all its dimensions (health, social and judicial) and the awareness of the entire community for prevention and early detection.

Types of violence and official statistics

It is important to emphasize that the iceberg phenomenon applies to child sexual abuse; that is, alongside the visible cases, there is a large number of cases that go unseen and undetected. According to the ANAR Foundation, there is a barrier to confession and reporting due to feelings of fear, shame, or guilt, or even a certain sense of loyalty, since most of the time the perpetrators are family members or close acquaintances. This secrecy pervades the lives of child and adolescent victims.

Data, sometimes so clinical, conveys little of the drama, the shattered lives, and the consequences of each case, however minor, but it is also necessary to understand the scale of the problem. It helps us visualize the situations, demystify preconceived notions, and understand that each and every member of society has a role to play in preventing and detecting these cases.

What is good child care and what are children's rights?

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According to the Save the Children study (2021):

• 44.7% of abuses occur between the ages of 13 and 16, although the average age at which abuse begins is 11 and a half years old.
• In 78.9% of the cases analyzed, the victims are girls and adolescents .
• The perpetrator is found in 84% of cases within the child's immediate environment . Among the most common settings, the family environment stands out, accounting for almost half (49.5%) of the cases analyzed. Some of the most frequent abuser profiles include the father, another unidentified relative, the mother's partner (typically male), the grandfather, or the uncle.
• This study confirms that childhood sexual abuse occurs in all types of families and contexts.

Child and adolescent sexual abuse can take many forms and involve various behaviors, although the most frequently reported are obscene touching and penetrative assaults:

Inappropriate touching

The adult touches or caresses the child's private parts without their consent, or forces the child to touch the abuser's private parts.

Exhibitionism

When an adult shows themselves naked or performs sexual acts in front of a child with the intention of arousing or confusing the child.

Voyeurism

It involves the abuser observing the child in private situations, such as when the child is naked or using the bathroom, without the child's knowledge or consent.

Production or distribution of material depicting sexual abuse of children or adolescents

It consists of forcing or manipulating a child to participate in the creation or distribution of sexually explicit photographs or videos. Official statistics reflect a worrying increase in victims, with a 111.7% rise from 2017 to 2021, the majority of whom are also female. These crimes have increased by 59.2% during the same period. A relevant source of information is also INTERPOL's database on child sexual exploitation, which contains more than 4.9 million images and videos. This database has helped identify more than 37,900 victims worldwide. From the analysis of the collected digital content, INTERPOL identified several particularly alarming trends:

• The younger the victim, the more serious the abuse.
• 84% of the images contain explicit sexual activity.
• More than 60% of the unidentified victims were prepubescent, including babies and toddlers.
• 65% of the unidentified victims were girls.
• In the images of serious abuse, it was likely to see boys, more than girls.
• 92% of the visible aggressors were men.

Rape or penetration

It is one of the most serious forms of sexual abuse, where the abuser forces the child to have sexual contact involving penetration, whether vaginal, anal or oral.

In 2023, 21,825 sexual offenses were reported in Spain, of which approximately 42% of the victims were minors. Twenty percent of these offenses were sexual assaults involving penetration, including both single and gang rapes.

Furthermore, the data highlights that girls and adolescents are the primary victims of these attacks, representing approximately 78.7%. Group attacks, which account for 10.9% of cases, have also shown a worrying increase in recent years.

Verbal sexual abuse

It includes comments, insinuations, or proposals of a sexual nature directed toward the child, which put him in an uncomfortable or confusing situation.

Child sexual exploitation

It involves the manipulation or coercion of a child to participate in sexual acts in exchange for something, such as money, favors, or attention.
The sexual exploitation of children and adolescents (SECA) is, according to the ECPAT International Network, the most extreme form of sexual violence against children and adolescents. It involves the use of minors in sexual acts in exchange for payment, which may be financial or of any other kind. Although it may seem like a distant reality in Spain, millions of children suffer from it worldwide, and in our country, child exploitation networks are dismantled every year. These networks have victimized dozens of children through prostitution, human trafficking, in the context of travel and tourism, and online, according to this organization.

These are the so-called invisible victims because official data only counts those related to legal proceedings, leaving out many victims identified by organizations working in this field. According to a UNICEF Spain report, the most common form of trafficking is for sexual exploitation, with women and girls being the primary victims. The majority of them are foreign nationals.

Sextortion or grooming

It is the process in which an abuser establishes a relationship of trust with the child through digital means or in person, with the aim of obtaining sexual material, carrying out a sexual encounter or blackmailing the minor.
In this process, the minor is isolated, creating secrecy and a sense of intimacy. Very often, and shielded by the anonymity of technology, abusers pose as minors. According to Save the Children's Viral Report, one in five people surveyed, aged 18-20, has experienced grooming , and 15% have experienced it more than once. On average, they first experienced this abuse at age 15.

Psychosocial consequences for the victim

Defining the psychosocial consequences for a victim of child sexual abuse is complex because numerous factors influence this experience, its intensity, and its impact on the person's development. These factors are related to the victim's age, the reaction and support provided by their environment, and their personal characteristics.

Although it is not possible to generalize, different studies have found some common points regarding the consequences, as reported by ANAR:

Although there are fewer studies, different consequences have been reported in relation to other types of child sexual abuse:

This same report points out that the symptoms differ slightly depending on the severity of the abuse. Victims share common issues such as anxiety, fear, sadness, isolation, and loneliness, but victims of sexual violence exhibit these symptoms more intensely, especially fear, while in cases of physical or psychological violence, sadness is more pronounced.

It is essential that victims receive psychological support as soon as possible , since the experience often has a significant impact on their mental health and can lead to other problems in adulthood. Various studies have linked experiencing sexual violence during childhood or adolescence with a range of mental health disorders, including schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, depression, insomnia, eating disorders, and even suicidal behavior.

Ultimately, trauma can affect the development of a person's own life project due to emotional difficulties, poor school performance, sexual victimization, problems with sexual dysfunction, and increased vulnerability.