ABSTRACT
The sexual abuse of children is a serious crime that can have severe and lifelong consequences for victims. Increased community awareness of the incidence of the sexual assault of children is beginning to change the way people and institutions interview suspected victims and respond to disclosures by children. Child sexual abuse occurs when an adult or adolescent invites or forces a child to observe or participate in sexual acts. Sexual abuse of infants, children, and adolescents occurs in all societies and cultures. Child sexual abuse has long been recognised as a crime but public aversion to the concept of harm to children mitigated against disclosure in public forums such as the media. Research on journalistic coverage of child sexual abuse has been framed in the past, as part of a wider gender debate. The impact of abuse on victims can be serious, including physical and psychological conditions that may be prolonged and continuous or chronic over their lifetime.
