FREE ESSAY ON SEXUAL ABUSE

SEXUAL ABUSE

Michael Stiefvater 
Sexual Abuse
At one time I thought about how child sexual abuse was growing 
concern in our society. Stories and interviews on TV and in the paper 
would keep me aware, but I always thought about how it was always 
happening to everyone else. One figure that lingered around in my mind 
was that one in six children would be a victim of sexual abuse. Having six 
children of my own I thought of these statistics. Knocking on wood so to 
speak, until it happened in our family. 
Sexual abuse can destroy a family, especially when the perpetrator is 
considered a member of the family. It is frustrating when someone that is 
trusted betrays that trust. Family members become angry , divided and 
deny that anything is wrong. The effects on the victim is the toughest 
thing to deal with.
The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) defines 
child abuse and neglect as at a minimum, any recent act or failure to act 
on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious 
physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, or an act or 
failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm. Some 
states have exceptions, but the term child refers to someone not yet 18. 
Then CAPTA defines sexual abuse as: the employment, use, persuasion, 
inducement, enticement, or coercion of any child to engage in, or assist 
any other person to engage in, any sexual explicit conduct or simulation 
of such conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such 
conduct; or the rape, and in cases of caretaker or inter-familial 
relationships, statutory rape, molestation, prostitution, or any other form 
of sexual exploitation of children, or incest with children.