ABSTRACT
During the 1980s there has been a rapid increase in the number of cases of sexual abuse seen in child and family psychiatry, the social services, and by other agencies concerned with child welfare. Public awareness of the resulting physical and psychological damage in children and adults has increased. The media has brought information and reporting regarding sexual abuse into homes and family life in such a way that it cannot be ignored. There has been a change in public consciousness, which has brought the subject into open discussion and recognition.
