Definition of Child abuse, sexual Child abuse, sexual: Child
abuse comprises four basic types of mistreatment: child neglect,
physical abuse of a child, emotional abuse of a child, and
sexual abuse of a child. Sexual abuse is the least frequently
reported form of child abuse (6% of all cases). Experts believe
that sexual abuse may be the most underreported type of child
maltreatment because of the secrecy, the "conspiracy of silence"
that so often surrounds these cases. Sexual abuse includes
fondling a child's genitals, intercourse, incest, rape, sodomy,
exhibitionism, and commercial exploitation through prostitution
or the production of pornographic materials. The diagnosis,
treatment and prevention of sexual child abuse are complex.
Several points might be made here: The diagnosis of sexual child
abuse involves a thorough nonjudgmental history of the immediate
events as well as a review of potential similar experiences
often independently done by a physician, social worker, and the
police department. A comp