Child sexual abuse is defined as the involvement of a child in sexual activity that he or she does not fully comprehend, is unable to give informed consent to, or for which the child is not developmentally prepared and cannot give consent, or that violates the laws or social taboos of society.
Research predominantly shows child sexual abuse is perpetrated against female children. However, sexual abuse of boys is far more common than generally believed.
Worldwide it is difficult to have numbers for child sexual abuse because generally they are not reported until the victims become teenagers or adults. Often these crimes are not disclosed, detected or reported because they are generally crimes only witnessed by the abuser and the victim. Although the abusers can be women, most child sexual abuse is committed by men. Sexual abuse can be physical, verbal or emotional and the perpetrator is usually very close to the victim.*