Childhood Sexual Abuse

Childhood sexual abuse includes any form of unwanted or coerced sexual touch including but not limited to: fondling, exposure, exploitation, and/or attempted or actual sexual assaults towards a young adult or child. Childhood sexual abuse is a betrayal of trust that often affects a person’s ability to connect and trust others.

Childhood sexual abuse can happen to anyone regardless of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, or cultural and/or religious beliefs. Most often, childhood sexual abuse is perpetrated by someone you know and trust such as a parent, sibling, or extended family member, babysitter, coach, family friend, neighbour, teacher, or stranger. Although statistics tell us that the majority of abusers are heterosexual men, women can also be abusers.

The fear and trauma experienced during childhood sexual abuse does not stop when the abuse stops. Many survivors deal with the effects of abuse well into adulthood and often report that the long-term effects play out in many aspects of their lives such as in relationships with family and partners; feelings of shame and/or anger; low self-esteem and body image; and/or addictions and self-harming behaviours.

Sexual abuse IS about power and control and NOT sex, regardless of what you may have been told.