Child sexual abuse, defined as an adult's inappropriate subjection and exposure of a child to any form of sexual activity (Faller, 1993), is a prevalent problem in society that has both short-term and long-term consequences (Nereo, Faber, & Hinton, 2002). It occurs in all types of child populations, regardless of the socioeconomic levels, educational levels, geographical location, as well as race and culture. According to a survey conducted by Child Protective Services, approximately 844,320 new cases of child sexual abuse were reported in 1997 (Prevent Child Abuse America, n. d.). According to various estimates, it is likely that one-fourth to one-third of women have been sexually abused at some point in their lifetimes, compared to one-sixth of the male population (Faller, 1993).
In the remainder of this paper, the issue of child sexual abuse will be examined from diverse perspectives. First, the type of perpetrators and the underlying reasons for their sexually offending behavior will be examined. Second, the short- and long-term effects of child sexual abuse on the victims will be considered. Finally, the different types of treatment modalities that are available for treating victims of child sexual abuse will be discussed.
Based on the child sexual abuse cases, 70 to 90 percent of child sexual abuse perpetrators commit their offenses against children they know. They may be a parent, step-parent, guardian, sibling or relative. At other times, they are acquainted with the families of their child victims. In fact, only ten to 30 percent of child sex offenders will target children they do not know (Prevent Child Abuse America, n. d.).
In terms of their socio-demographic and personality characteristics, professionals in this field have found that 90 percent of child sex offenders are typically male. They generally manifest a lack of emotion and introversion in their personalities. Many are likely to have a hi...