Champaign County Children's Advocacy Center

Michael Williams, Executive Director

Parents & Clients Info

Dear Parents/Caregivers
What is the Children's Advocacy Center?
What is Child Sexual Abuse?
The Offender & Steps They Take to Access Children
What Are the Effects of Sexual Abuse on My Child?
How Should I Act Toward My Child?
How Parents Sometimes Feel When Abuse Has Been Reported
The Investigation & Facts About the Investigation
Your Team of Professionals
What Happens in Criminal Court?
What To Say To Others
Comments You Can Expect From Others About the Abuse
Related Documents

WHAT IS CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE?

Since some childhood sexual activity is normal, it is important to understand how child sexual abuse is defined.  In the broadest definition, child sexual abuse may refer to any forced or coerced sexual activity involving a child:

• Sexual contact between a child and another person (whether it is an adult or an older child) in which threats, treats, bribes, or other tricks are used to get the child to participate in the activity.
• Any sexual contact between a child and an adult.
• Touching private parts whether under or over clothing.
• Penetration using an object.
• Forced sexual acts between children.

Some abuse may not involve actual physical contact.  This might include:

• “sexy talk”
• “flashing” of sexual body parts or exposure to sex acts
• voyeurism or “peeping” activities
• child pornography (whether it involves making the child view, read or participate in pornography)
• encouraging or promoting child prostitution
• Internet (i.e., pornography, sexually explicit e-mails and chat rooms, "sexting")

Often, the abuser will persuade the child to cooperate and to keep the abuse a secret.  This “persuasion” may involve the promise of special treats or privileges, or threats of physical punishment and other consequences.  Or, the abuser may not need to make any threats.  Children are taught to obey and trust adults and the abuser may take advantage of this, especially if he is a person the child knows well and trusts.

Children tend to believe what adults tell them is true rather than to rely on their own feelings.  This works against them in two ways.  If the molester tells them what is being done is OK, they may doubt their own feelings that it is not OK.  If a parent’s initial reaction when they hear of the abuse is “This can’t be true!” the child may wonder if his or her own feelings are mistaken.  Children almost never tell about abuse in order to avoid causing problems.  More often, they fear that telling will make people angry with them.  It is extremely difficult for children to report abuse and the process of disclosing abuse sometimes occurs over a long period of time.  Be patient with your child.

Revised August, 2010

If you suspect abuse, call your local police department or
the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
at 1-800-25-ABUSE (1-800-252-2873)