ABSTRACT
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) defines sexual abuse during childhood as occurring when a child is engaged in sexual activities that 1) she or he cannot comprehend, 2) she or he is not developmentally prepared for, 3) she or he cannot give consent to, and/or 4) that are illegal or social taboos (Kellogg, 2005). Sexual abuse can include both contact and non-contact activities. Contact includes oral-to-genital, genital, or anal contact with a child. Non-contact sexual activities include voyeurism, exhibitionism, or exploiting a child in the production of child pornography (Kellogg, 2005). Online victimization is a rising concern and includes Internet-based solicitations for sex by strangers (unwanted sexual solicitation); online harassment (Mitchell, Finkelhor, Wolak, Ybarra, & Turner, 2011); stalking or grooming children online; engaging in sexually explicit behaviors online; or creating or distributing sexual images of children online (National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 2015). Children who are victims of other forms of abuse, violence, and crime are at greater risk of sexual abuse. Females, compared to males, and children from low-income families are also at greater risk of sexual abuse (Heisler, 2013). Perpetrators are defined as people who have caused or allowed maltreatment of a child(ren). Perpetrators of sexual abuse are more likely to be men, juveniles, young adults aged 30 or younger, and acquaintances of the victim (Heisler, 2013; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2005).
