Sexual Assault Against Children

While sexual abuse encompasses a wide array of acts, the sexual abuse of a child may be defined as a minor who is used for some degree of sexual stimulation (Babchishin, Hanson, & Hermann, 2011). The sexual abuse of a child falls into the broader category of child abuse, alongside the categories of physical abuse, emotional abuse, and child neglect. While not all forms of child sexual abuse require physical contact to occur, there is a physical aspect involved in the commission of many sex crimes against a child. Regardless, a child may experience lasting trauma after becoming a victim of sexual abuse. More often than not, a child is victimized for sexual stimulation by an individual they knew prior to the assault taking place. Furthermore, a child who comes forth as a survivor of sexual assault may be subjected to further emotional trauma during the criminal justice process (Schönbucher et al., 2012).

Types of Sexual Assault Against Children There are several acts, ranging from rape to the possession of child pornography, that may all be categorized as a form of child sexual abuse. While laws, definitions and the legal age of consent may vary from state to state, rape

Potential child sexual abusers may also begin contact with a child through the Internet. Nevertheless, sexual predators who develop an inappropriate sexual relationship with children both online and in-person have a similar gradual and calculated grooming process when targeting their potential victims (Babchishin, Hanson, & Hermann, 2011). The grooming process begins by first identifying a victim. Once a potential victim has been targeted, the offender will begin to seek out the child’s vulnerabilities, such as low self-esteem, a lack of confidence or other factors such as less parental