Definition of Sexual Abuse

Sexual Abuse is any type of sexual activity that a person does not agree to, including;
Rape, also known as being forced to have sexual intercourse, or attempted rape
Touching your body or making you touch someone elses
Someone watching, filming, or photographing you in sexual situations
Someone exposing his or her body to you
(Lukima, J., 2009)

Types of Sexual Abuse

Intrafamilial- Intrafamilial abuse is also called incest. Incest is sexual abuse by a family
member.
Extrafamilial- Extrafamilial abuse is abuse done by someone who isnt a family member.
(Crosson-Tower, C., 2010)

Phases of Sexual Abuse

There is usually a pattern of phases that occur in sexual abuse of a child. Not ever case of
sexual abuse progresses the same way, but generally, there are five different phases. The
five phases are:
Phase 1 -Engagement: The perpetrator gains access to the child victim and falsely leads
the victim to believe that the sexual behavior is acceptable. The perpetrator may pressure
or force the victim to take part in the sexual activities.
Phase 2 -Sexual Interaction: Actual sexual contact
Phase 3 -Secrecy Phase: The perpetrator uses threats, bribes, or emotional blackmail to
make sure the child keeps the sexual activities a secret.
Phase 4 -Disclosure: This phase may not happen until a victim of sexual abuse is an adult.
During disclosure, the victim uncovers their secret of sexual abuse.
Phase 5 -Suppression: The people close to the victim encourage the child to recant or
forget the abuse.
(Crosson-Tower, C., 2010)

What You Should Do

No Means No!
You have a right to say NO to anything that makes you feel uncomfortable.
There Are No Secrets
If someone made you feel uncomfortable, tell your parents or guardians, or an adult you
trust.
Its Not Your Fault
If youre the victim of sexual abuse, its important to know its not your fault.
(Dublin-Weingarden, J., 2012)

How Society Sets up Children as Victims

Girls:
Taught by society to be vulnerable
Taught to feel guilt and shame
Taught to be clean and attractive
Taught to be manipulative
Taught to please others
Boys:
Taught to believe they are powerful
Taught to not be seen as victims
Taught that molestation may lead to homosexuality or to question manhood
Taught to think its cool to be initiated by a female
Taught to fear no one will believe them
Taught to be free and that freedom will be repressed if molestation is reported to
parents.
(Crosson-Tower, C., 2010)

Statistics

In 2007, over half (58%) of sexual assault victims were under the age of 18, children
under 12 accounting for 25%.
The majority of the young victims were female (81%)
Nearly all young victims, regardless of sex, experienced a level 1 sexual assault
(82%) or a crime recorded under the category of other sexual offences (17%).
While few sexual assault victims filed formal reports with police, most (72%)
confided in friends and many turned to family (41%) and other informal sources of
support.
Nearly a third (31%) of the accused perpetrators are family members,
Police-reported data, which include victims of every age, indicate that the accused
was a family member in nearly a third (31%) extended family members (10%), the
victims parents (10%), or some other immediate family member (7%)
While many victims of sexual assault did not report their victimization to police, still
many did turn to other informal sources of support, such as friends (72%), family
(41%), co-workers (33%), or doctors or nurses (13%).
(Brennan, S., & Taylor-Butts, A., 2008)

Resources

Childrens Aid Society of the City of Kingston and County of Frontenac

The Frontenac Children's Aid Society, in partnership with our community, protects
children, strives to enable youth, strengthen families and prevent child abuse.
Telephone: 613-542-7351
Address: 362 Montreal Street, Kingston, Ontario, K7K 3H5

Kingston General Hospital Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Program

The SA/DV Program provides emergency treatment, tests, crisis counseling, Forensic

evidence collection, medical and social work follow up, and safety planning.
Telephone: 613-549-6666 extension 4880
Address: 76 Stuart Street, Kingston Ontario, K7L 2V7

Sexual Assault Center Kingston

Provides free, confidential and non judgmental services to survivors of sexual assault
in Kingston
Telephone: 613-545-0762

Pathways for Children and Youth

Dedicated to strengthening and supporting the emotional well-being of children and
families.
Telephone: 613-546-1422
Address: 215-1201 Division St, Kingston

Bibliography
Brennan, S., & Taylor-Butts, A. (2008) Sexual assault in Canada. Statistics Canada.
Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85f0033m/85f0033m2008019eng.pdf
Crosson-Tower, C. (2010). Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect. Eighth Edition.
Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Dublin-Weingarden, J. (2012, Febuary) Talking to your kids about sexual abuse. She
Knows Parenting. Retrieved from
http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/947435/talking-to-your-kids-aboutsexual-abuse
Lukima, J. (2009, July) Sexual assault and abuse. Womenshealth.gov. Retrieved from
http://womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/sexualassault.cfm