Sexual abuse What is sexual abuse

How do you define child sexual abuse

There are 2 different types of child sexual abuse. These are called contact abuse and non-contact abuse.

Contact abuse involves touching activities where an abuser makes physical contact with a child, including penetration. It includes:

• sexual touching of any part of the body whether the child's wearing clothes or not
• rape or penetration by putting an object or body part inside a child's mouth, vagina or anus
• forcing or encouraging a child to take part in sexual activity
• making a child take their clothes off, touch someone else's genitals or masturbate.

Non-contact abuse involves non-touching activities, such as grooming, exploitation, persuading children to perform sexual acts over the internet and flashing. It includes:

• encouraging a child to watch or hear sexual acts
• not taking proper measures to prevent a child being exposed to sexual activities by others
• meeting a child following sexual grooming with the intent of abusing them
• online abuse including making, viewing or distributing child abuse images
• allowing someone else to make, view or distribute child abuse images
• showing pornography to a child
• sexually exploiting a child for money, power or status (child exploitation).

Read more about the official definitions of child sexual abuse in the UK.