Sexual Abuse like Incest, Molestation, and Rape
If you are not familiar of sexual abuse, here is how you determine it. Be smart and brave, act quickly, especially if you're the victim or target. Ask help if you can't manage it.
Incest is sexual contact between persons who are so closely related that a marriage between them is
considered illegal (e.g., parents and children, uncles/aunts and nieces/nephews, etc.). Usually, incest takes the form of an older family member having sexual relations or sexually abusing a child or an adolescent.
Although an abuse, there are many reasons why the victims might not report this. One reason is that the
victims might be told that what is happening is normal or happens in every family, and don’t realize that it is a form of abuse. Also, the victims may not know that help is available or they do not know who they can talk to. The victims may also be afraid of what will happen to them if they tell someone, especially if the abuser threatened them. They may also be worried about the abuser and be afraid of what will happen to the abuser if they tell. Lastly, the victims may also be afraid of how the people may react if they hear about the abuse. They are scared that people will accuse them of having done something wrong, or that no one will believe them.
Molestation is the sexual abuse of a person (whether a child or adult) by an adult for sexual pleasure or for profit. It occurs when an individual sees another individual as a sexual object and uses this idea to satisfy his/her sexual urges and fantasies, usually by subjecting their victim to unwanted or improper sexual advances or activity. It may include any of the following:
▪ Fondling – to handle, stroke or caress lovingly or erotically
▪ Mutual masturbation – two people touching each other’s sexual organs for pleasure
▪ Sodomy – sexual intercourse that involves inserting of the penis of one person into the anus of
another person
▪ Coitus – sexual intercourse between a male and a female involving the insertion of the penis into the
vagina
▪ Child pornography – explicit portrayal of children as sexual subject matter for purpose of sexual
arousal. It may be in a variety of media, like books, magazines, films, photos and etc. DRAFT March
24, 2014 23
▪ child prostitution- refers to children who get paid to have sex
Rape is forced sexual intercourse, including vaginal, anal, or oral penetration. Penetration may be by a body
part or an object. The sexual act may also be considered rape if it satisfies any of the following criteria:
▪ One or both people are not old enough to consent, which means one or both of them are below 18
years old
▪ One of them does not have the capacity to consent, which means one of them may not be in his/her
right mental and legal capacity to consent (i.e. with mental disability, people who have been drugged
or unconscious, etc.)
▪ One of them did not agree to take part, which means the rapist might use physical force or threat to
force the victim to have intercourse with him/her. If these three considerations are met, the sexual act falls under the category of rape, which is a criminal offense and it is punishable by law.
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