Child abuse - sexual

Child sexual abuse is the deliberate exposure of minor children to sexual activity. This means a child is forced or talked into sex or sexual activities by another person. Such abuse includes touching (fondling), sexual intercourse, oral sex, pornography, and other sexual activity.

With the exception of sexual abuse among family members (incestuous relationships), child sexual abuse was not clearly described until the late 1970s. The problem is far more common than had been thought. Indeed, the medical literature up through the mid-1970s contained articles about children and sexually transmitted diseases, such as gonorrhea. However, there was no discussion of how the children caught such disease. There was great reluctance in society to deal with this issue, but after 30 years of examination worldwide, child sexual abuse is now considered a serious issue.