The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare provides a useful, national definition of child sexual abuse: ‘Sexual abuse is any act which exposes a child to, or involves a child in, sexual processes beyond his or her understanding or contrary to accepted community standards’ .
Child sexual assault refers to any form of sexual behaviour or activity imposed on a child. It is a distressing and harmful experience. It can have enduring emotional, psychological, and physical impacts on the victims. Often these effects will stay with the child for their entire life. It’s essential to understand that child sexual assault can occur in various forms. It can be physical or non-physical.
For example it can be:
- Inappropriate touching – body parts considered private on a child, for example, genitals, chest, breast, buttocks.
- Exposure to explicit materials.
- Online grooming.
- Forced sexual acts.
- Exposing children to nudity.
- Having sex in front of a child.
- An older person talking about their sexual experiences with a child,
- Forced masturbation- note, when a person decides to masturbate in private it is part of a child’s normal sexual development. Whereas another person coercing a child to masturbate so they can watch or video them or to watch or touch another person is sexually abusive.
- Masturbating in front of a child.
- Oral touch of a child’s body– private body parts
- Using objects of any kind to penetrate a child’s orifices
Who Are The Perpetrators?
Firstly, in the context of child sexual abuse (CSA), let’s define the different behaviours of a predator and a perpetrator.
- A predator is a selfish person who preys on the vulnerable with a view to perpetrating harm.
- A perpetrator is a person who commits a criminal act.
When looking at statistics for the crime of CSA, it is hard to gauge as the data relies only on cases that have been reported. Reporting includes child protection reports and police reports.
It is important to understand that perpetrators of child sexual abuse can come from any ethnicity or background. They can be women, men, or even young people (aged 10-18). Research indicates that most of these perpetrators are male, which is why there is a focus on males. While females can also be perpetrators, the risk is lower. Statistics for female perpetrators are made up of cases involving mothers who were complicit in the abuse of their children, either through failure to report or trafficking their children for money or drugs.
A study drawing on statistics from police reports suggests that 9-16% of CSA offenders are young persons under the age of 17. These statistics are consistent with New South Wales counselling services reports. However, there are other organisations that believe the number of young juveniles perpetrating CSA is much higher and is closer to 50%. It is hard to know the exact numbers due to the number of cases unreported.
These are some of the most common types of perpetrators:
- an uncle,
- a sibling
- a family friend (someone you trust – always around, friendly & helpful),
- grandparent (grandfather),
- a stepparent (most cases a stepfather)
- babysitter – who may also bring friends over while they are there,
- teenage relatives/friends,
- a father,
- community members,
- strangers,
- neighbours.
Is CSA Always Committed by Paedophiles?
Short answer is no! A common misconception is that CSA is always committed by paedophiles. However, this is not the case. Paedophiles are individuals who have a sexual attraction to prepubescent children. While Paedophiles do commit CSA, they are not the only perpetrators. CSA can be committed by a wide range of individuals with diverse motivations and backgrounds.
Perpetrators of CSA can include family members, friends, caregivers, teachers, coaches, and even peers. Some may not fit the clinical definition of a paedophile but may exploit children due to other factors such as power, control, or situational opportunities. It’s important to understand that CSA is a complex issue with various underlying causes and motivations.
- Situational child sexual abuse occurs when individuals who engage in abuse tend to act impulsively when faced with temptation or a temporary lapse in self-control. For example when bathing a child or sleeping in the same bed.
- Opportunistic occasional predators are individuals who are opportunistic occasional predators who are prone to committing abusive behaviour when there is a lack of proper controls in place. Alone access with a child or in services that support children not having appropriate controls such as a code of conduct or reporting procedures.
- Serial Offenders are individuals who repeatedly commit predatory acts and are classified as high-frequency chronic offenders. They select their victims based on situational factors and often manipulate their surroundings to create opportunities for abuse.