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Child Sexual Abuse: A Definition
Aware Parents, Caretakers and Children Can Help Prevent Child Sexual Abuse
Aware Parents and Caretakers Can Better Help A Sexually Abused Child
Recognizing that the child has been sexually abused
Helping the child talk about abuse
Seeking professional support to help the child heal
Understanding, Preventing and Coping with Child Sexual Abuse - A Short Recap
Myths and Facts about Child Sexual Abuse
Statistics of prevalence of Child Sexual Abuse in India
Laws on Child Sexual Abuse in India
Resources Available
Related Links
Glossary

Also visit Arpan's blog on Child Sexual Abuse http://arpancsa.blogspot.com/

Child Sexual Abuse: A Definition TOP


Child sexual abuse is ANY ACT directed at a child by an adult or older person for the sexual gratification of the adult or older person.

It includes:

Child Sexual Abuse affects the child negatively,
causing many ill effects, such as:
  • Fear, shock and confusion
  • Shame, guilt and anger
  • Constant illnesses
  • Social withdrawal
  • Future exploitative relationships 
  • Inappropriate sexualised behaviour

Still, most children quietly suffer, and don’t talk about Child Sexual Abuse, But WE need to talk about it,
so that WE can PREVENT IT and CURE IT.

Aware Parents, Caretakers and Children Can Help Prevent Child Sexual Abuse TOP


One of the important ways for prevention is to teach children about Touches. Just like we teach our children safety rules about crossing the road, we should also teach them about Safe and Unsafe Touch.

Safe Touch

 Unsafe Touch

Anything that makes us feel good
and leaves us
happy and comfortable

Anything that makes us feel unsafe, confused and leaves us uneasy,
excited or uncomfortable

Holding hands with friends, sharing meals,
warm hug from loving parents

Touches involving our special parts that are private to us, touches that are told to be kept secret

 

 

Emphasise that they must say "NO" to any action/touch that causes discomfort or unease to them. If the child is feeling uneasy about anybody giving them a hug, don’t pressurise them to do so. Respect the child’s liking/disliking to touch and hugs.

Most importantly you must teach them

RULES FOR PERSONAL SAFETY

RULE NO. 1

• It is NEVER all right for someone to TOUCH, LOOK or TALK about one’s private body parts except to keep them clean and healthy.

It is never alright for someone older or bigger to ask the child to TOUCH, LOOK or TALK about their private body parts.

RULE NO. 2

• If someone tries to break this rule, say "NO" and RUN AWAY.

RULE NO. 3

• TELL someone you trust and KEEP TELLING until you get the help you need.

Give this information in an age appropriate manner. 
 For references of books on this topic see Resources Available

Aware Parents and Caretakers Can Better Help A Sexually Abused Child TOP


Sometimes, despite our best efforts, our children become victim of sexual abuse. We need to help our children through this by the following:

Step 1:  Recognizing that the child has been sexually abused

Step 2:  Helping the child talk about abuse

Step 3:  Seeking professional support to help the child heal

 Step 1:
Recognizing that the child has been sexually abused TOP


Recognizing an abusive situation is a skill for both parents and caretakers. Most children don’t report abuse, so parents and caretakers need to understand abuse based on children’s behavioural changes. No ‘one’ behaviour alone determines that a child has been sexually abused; it could be a combination of many, such as:

  • Social Withdrawal

  • Repeated urinary infections

  • Hostility or aggression

  • Unexplained pain swelling in genital area

  • Passive or overly pleasing behaviour

  • Hints, indirect comments about the abuse

  • Drop in academic performance

  • Use of abusive sexual language

  • Eating disorders, anxiety, depression

  • Sexualized behaviour

  • Suicide attempts

  • Sexual activity at an early age

Important: These behavioural changes MAY be indicative of sexual abuse, but are NOT necessarily a result of sexual abuse, there could be other factors as well.

Step 2:
Helping the child talk about abuse TOP



Rule # 1: Remember that the child is not at fault.

Rule # 2: Make sure the child understands Rule # 1.

Always keep the above rules in mind whilst talking to the child. However before encouraging the child to talk, it is important to first understand why they don’t talk about sexual abuse themselves, and what enables them to talk about it sometimes later.

Why They Don’t Talk

• "How do I say it? What words should I use?"

• "Mummy and Daddy won’t believe me!"

• "I don’t even know how to say what happened, I just feel weird about it"

• "Uncle didn’t really mean to be bad to me or did he?"

• "My teacher might fail me if I tell Mummy"

• "I am scared, Uncle told me not to tell anyone, it’s a secret."

 

Why They Talk, Eventually

·       Awareness and understanding of the abuse.

·       Discussion with an understanding parent or other adult with whom they are comfortable.

·       Inability to bear the abuse anymore.

·       Physical illnesses following sexual abuse.

·       Secure adult relationships that provide confidence to deal with prior trauma

·       Revelation during therapy for any other reason

·       Desire to prevent abuse of other children

Create an understanding and open environment to help the child talk about the abuse.

When children finally do talk about abuse, it’s very important to handle it carefully.

Rules in handling disclosure…

 

• Keep calm

• Believe the child

• Listen to the child

• Answer the child’s questions honestly

• Respect the child’s privacy by not telling other people

• Give positive messages: "I know you could not help it" or "I am proud of you for telling"

• Report the abuse

• Arrange a medical exam

• Get professional help

It is of utmost importance to keep open communication channels and have a good constant rapport with the child.

DON'T

  • Blame the child

  • Panic or overreact

  • Pressure the child to talk

  • Confront offender in child’s presence

  • Make the child repeat the story

Remember, disclosure is difficult for children. It may be days, months, years or even never, for a victim to talk about sexual abuse. Be patient and supportive.

Step 3:
Seeking professional support to help the child heal TOP


Sexually abused children often feel guilt, anger, sadness, shame and confusion.

Child sexual abuse is NOT the child’s fault – but the child doesn’t understand that.

Professional counselling helps the child:

• Realise that abuse is NOT his/her fault

• Get rid of the shame and guilt

• Feel accepted, safe and secure

• Rebuild their self esteem and confidence

• Minimise focus on the traumatic past, heal and move on

• Come to terms with the consequences about the abuser when reported and action is taken

The family also needs counselling to cope with the abuse situation and help the child heal.

How Arpan can help

 Arpan can provide professional help and support in dealing with all stages of support for Child Sexual Abuse, ranging from counselling to legal steps. 

Pushpa Venkatraman, Counsellor, Arpan, M.A. in Psychology has had more than 20 years of experience in the field of child sexual exploitation. She has dealt with several cases of Child Sexual Abuse and has conducted numerous prevention and training programs on Child Sexual Abuse. She will be glad to guide you based on her experience.
Email: pushpa@arpan.org.in
Phone: +91.98190.86444

Understanding, Preventing and Coping with Child Sexual Abuse - A Short Recap TOP



Child Sexual Abuse is ANY SEXUAL ACT directed at a child by an adult or older person for the sexual gratification of the adult or older person.

• Sexual Abuse affects children negatively, yet most children don’t report it.

• Aware parents, caretakers and children can help prevent child sexual abuse.

•Teach children about Safe and Unsafe Touch and to say "NO" to Unsafe Touch.

• Teach children Personal Safety Rules "NO", RUN, TELL, KEEP TELLING.

• Aware parents and caretakers can better help a sexually abused child by

>> Step1 Recognizing that the child has been sexually abused

>> Step2 Helping the child talk about abuse

>> Step3 Seeking professional support to help the child heal

It is very important to remember and remind the child that Sexual Abuse is NOT the child’s fault.

Parents need to be compassionate, patient and encouraging.

“Fifty years from now it will not matter what kind of car you drove, what kind of house you lived in, how much you had in your bank account, or what your clothes looked like. But the world may be a little better because you were important in the life of a child.” -  Anonymous

Myths and Facts about Child Sexual Abuse TOP


MYTHS

FACTS

Men sexually abuse children because they cannot control their sexual urges.

 

Sexual assaults are violent crimes committed by people who are in a position of power and violate the trust placed in them.

Sexual assaults are involuntary acts committed by strangers in the dark.

 

The majority of sexual assaults are premeditated acts of aggression committed by trusted people, often close friends and family members.

Decent girls don’t get sexually assaulted.

 

All females, from children to old women are prone to sexual abuse.

 

Children invite abuse by the way the dress.

Sexual abuse happens irrespective of the way the children dress.

A precocious child gets abused.

Perpetrator is not influenced by only children who may be precocious.

Children have to obey elders and cannot say “NO” when they are affectionately addressed by an adult even if it makes them uncomfortable. This is the Eastern culture!

 

Any person who is not comfortable with a touch or show of affection has the right to say “NO” and the child needs to be empowered to do so.

Children have vivid imagination and lie often when they speak of being abused.

 

Children lack the language to “make up stories” of the abuse.

 

It is fine to promise the child confidentiality when he she confides in you.

 

Care should be taken while promising confidentiality in case the child needs medical attention and the abuse is detected.

 

Sex with minors who are virgins is a cure for people suffering from venereal diseases.

Sex with minors is NOT a cure for venereal diseases. Only medical treatment helps.

 

Statistics of prevalence of Child Sexual Abuse in India TOP

 

The first ever National Study on Child Abuse in April 2007, covering 13 states in India and a sample size of 12,446 children was released by Minister for Women and Child Development showing these stark reality figures:

• More than 53% children report facing one or more forms of sexual abuse

• Almost 22% faced severe sexual abuse, 6% sexually assaulted

• 50% of sexual offenders were known to the victim or were in positions of trust (family member, close relative, friend or neighbour).

• Onset of abuse is from 5 years of age.

• Boys were equally at risk as girls.

• Severest sexual abuse in age group of 11-16 years.

 • 73% of sexual abuse victims were in age groups of 11-18years.

Tulir- CPHCSA’s study in 2006, conducted among 2211 school going children in Chennai, indicates CSA prevalence rate of 42%. Children of all socio economic groups were found to be equally vulnerable. While 48% of boys reported having been abused, the prevalence rate among girls was 39%. 15% of both boys and girls had been severely abused.

Survey conducted in 2001 by SAVE THE CHILDREN, Sweden found that
 68%     had faced physical abuse
46.6%   faced severe abuse leading to injuries
32.2%   had their private parts touched by the abuser
20%      were forced to have sexual intercourse

In a survey with 350 school girls in New Delhi by Sakshi in 1997, 63% had experienced CSA at the hands of family members; and 25% of the girls had either been raped, made to masturbate the perpetrator or engage in oral sex.

Another 1997 study on middle and upper class women from Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Goa by RAHI revealed that 76% of respondents had been sexually abused as children, with 71% been abused either by relatives or by someone they knew and trusted.

Samvada’s 1996 study on students in Bangalore states that 47% of the respondents had been sexually abused; 62% of whom had been raped once and 38% of whom had suffered repeated violations.

Laws on Child Sexual Abuse in India TOP


by Pushpa Venkatraman

According to The Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 1 defines “the child” as “every human being below the age of 18 years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier”.

In the Indian legal system, the child has been defined differently in the various laws pertaining to children.

The Indian Penal Code defines the child as being 12 years of age, whereas the Indian Traffic Prevention Act, 1956 defines a ‘minor’ as a person who has completed the age of 16 years but not 18 years. Section 376 of IPC, which punishes the perpetrators of the crime of rape, defines the age of consent to be below 16 years of age, whereas Section 82 & 83 of the IPC states that nothing is an offence done by a child under 7 years, and further under 12 years, till he has attained sufficient maturity of understanding the nature of the Act and the consequences of his conduct on that occasion.

There are very few sections under the Indian Penal Code that deal with child sexual abuse. Some terrible home truths are:

  • The laws for women are extended to include children.

  • The major weakness of these laws is that only penile penetration is considered a grave sexual offence. The crime is considered lesser when it is oral, or through penetration with an object.

  • Although section 377, dealing with unnatural offences, prescribes seven to ten years of imprisonment, such cases can be tried in a magistrates court, which can impose maximum punishment of three years.

  • If the abuse is repeated several times it affects children more severely, however as yet there is no law for repeated offenses against the one child.

How do we apply section 354, on outraging the modesty of women, with respect to children?
How do we define modesty?

The gravity of the offence under section 509, dealing with obscene gestures, is less. Yet even in such cases, the child’s psyche may be affected as severely as in a rape.

Status
With the aid of public interest lawyers across the country, Maharukh Adenwala, a senior lawyer practicing in child protection laws in the High Court, has initiated the National Campaign on Law for Child Sexual Abuse. This group will help draft a new law and circulate it among child rights groups. Once the legal work is complete, Maharukh will take the draft to a standing committee within the parliament to gain support for the new law. In addition to a book she has written on Child Sexual Abuse and Law, Maharukh is working with other lawyers on a white paper on child sexual abuse that will serve as the starting point of her work countrywide.

There also exists a differential definition for “boys and girls”. This is clearly seen in the Juvenile Justice Act, which defines a male minor as being below 16 years and a female minor as being below 18 years of age.

In the Indian context the age of an individual in order to be determined as a “child” is NOT uniformly defined. The consequence of this is that it offers various gaps in the legal procedure which is used by the guilty to escape punishment.

In cases of rape the burden of proof is on the victim of rape, however if the victim is a minor, the question of giving consent does not arise, as consent of a minor is not concerned as consent in the eyes of the law. In cases of CSA, at present the law that is referred to is section 376 of the IPC, where the age of consent is above 16 years.

Urgent Action
There is an urgent need to clarify variety of sexual activities that are involved to constitute Child Sexual Abuse as also the age of the child.

Current Status in 2007
Child abuse cases are handled under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, which are laws meant for adults.

One positive development in this regard has been the preparation of a draft by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The Offences Against Children Bill, 2005, in circulation since January this year, is hailed by child rights activists as a landmark document; it is the first time that a law specifically aimed at protecting children's rights has been under debate.

"So far there was not a single law aimed at safeguarding children and protecting them against abuse. Offences against children were so far booked under laws under the IPC, which at times failed to result in prosecution and conviction simply for the reason that crimes involving children need to be handled with different tools," said Rajmangal Prasad, director, Pratidhi, another NGO active in the field of child rights. According to him, if the proposed draft does become law, it will go a long way to check child trafficking because specific sections in the draft deal with precisely this issue.

Furthermore, the definition of trafficking goes beyond trafficking for commercial sex. The proposed document has specific sections dealing with various offences against children, including sale/transfer, sexual assault, sexual/physical/emotional abuse, commercial sexual exploitation, child pornography, grooming for sexual purpose, incest, corporal punishment, bullying and economic exploitation. The document makes it clear that provisions in this law will be in addition to other legislation within the IPC and the Juvenile Justice Act because these laws do not separately cover persons who commit crimes against children and some other categories of children under various circumstances of abuse, exploitation and neglect.

Child rights activists are calling for the draft under consideration to be made into a law so that the suffering children have some hope. As the first paragraph of the document states, "although India has the second largest child population in the world, there is no separate legislation to deal with offences against children". It is high time it was enacted.

Resources Available TOP


List of Books you can refer to read more about Child Sexual Abuse and its prevention.
All these books can be ordered through www.amazon.com

Parenting the Sexually Abused Child
Author(s):  Child Welfare Information Gateway
Year Published:  1990

Good Touch, Bad touch Educational activities ( ENGLISH)

Keeping Kids Safe: A Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Manual Paperback by Pnina Tobin

Your Body Belongs to You by Cornelia Maude Spelman

My Body Is Private (Albert Whitman Prairie Books) by Linda Walvoord Girard

If I'd Only Known... author Dorothy M. Neddermeyer

Freeman, Lory. It's My Body. Parenting Press, Inc., Seattle, WA, 1982.

Gil, Eliana. I Told My Secret: A Book for Kids Who Were Abused. Launch Press, California, 1986.

Hindman, Jan. A Very Touching Book...for Little People and for Big People. McClure-Hindman Associates, Durkee, OR, 1985.

Satullo, J. It Happens to Boys Too. RCC Berkshire Press, 1989.

Sweet, Phyllis. Something Happened to Me. Mother Courage Press, Racine, WI, 1981.

Sweet, Phyllis. Alice Doesn't Babysit Anymore. McGovern and Mulbacker, Oregon, 1985

"Courage to heal" Activity book for adult survivors – Sage Publications

By Indian NGOs and authors

Incest - the most common form of child abuse -  Anuja Gupta & RAHI - www.rahifoundation.org

helping overcome the torment of incest by Shekhar Chandran

Bitter Chocolate - By Pinky Veerani

Forum Against Child Sexual Exploitation. – A complilation available with FACSE, Mumbai

For Parents

Bass, Ellen and Davis, Laura. The Courage to Heal, A Guide for Women Survivors of Child  Sexual Abuse. Harper & Row, New York, 1988.

Father Flanagan's Boys Home. Sexually Abused Children in Foster Care. Boys Town, Nebraska. May be ordered by contacting Father Flanagan's Boy's Home, Boys Town Center, Family Based Programs, Boys Town, NE, 68010, 402.498.1310.

Gil, Eliana. Outgrowing the Pain. Launch Press, California, 1983.,

Gil, Eliana. Children Who Molest: A Guide for Parents of Young Sex Offenders. Launch Press, California, 1987.

Lew, Mike. Victims No Longer: Men Recovering From Incest and Other Sexual Child Abuse. Nevraumont Publishing Company, New York, 1988.

Maltz, Wendy and Holman, Beverly. Incest and Sexuality. Lexington Books, Lexington, MA, 1986.

McFadden, Emily Jean. Fostering the Child Who Has Been Sexually Abused. Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, 1986.

McFarlane, Kee and Cunningham, Carolyn. Steps to Healthy Touching: A Treatment Workbook for Kids 5-12 Who Have Problems With Sexually Inappropriate Behavior. Kidsrights, Mount Dora, FL, 1988.

Parents Anonymous of Delaware. All In My Family. Parents Anonymous, DE, 1987.

Related Links TOP


www.rahi.org
For adult survivors of child sexual abuse. Website of RAHI, an NGO in New Delhi

www.stopitnow
Prevention of child sexual abuse based in USA

www.prevent-abuse-now.com
comprehensive information on child sexual abuse.

www.tulircphcsa.org
An NGO in Chennai, India working on prevention of child sexual abuse.

www.childsexualabuseinindia.blogspot.com
Blog maintained by Tulir-CPHCSA on child sexual abuse in India and related issues.

www.kidpower.org
For school going children age 6-14 years on information and prevention

www.cari.ie
provides a professional, child centred therapy and counselling service to children, families, and groups who have been affected by child sexual abuse. (services in Ireland)

www.protectkids.com
protecting children from child sexual abuse and pornography.

www.healthline.com
information on CSA and different aspects of abuse.

www.cphcsa.org
Center for prevention and healing of child sexual abuse – Philippines / Malaysia / Vietnam

www.stairwayfoundation.org
references of DVDs and books on prevention of CSA

www.ispcan.org
ISPCAN – International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, Denmark.
Details of Child Protection Activities.

www.child-abuse.com
Child Abuse Prevention Network (US) - Protection of children from abuse

www.ecpat.net
ECPAT – End Child Prostitution and Trafficking, France / Germany
Prevention of Child Trafficking with an offshoot against child sexual abuse

Glossary TOP

 

Abuse, Sexual - Contact(s) between a child and an adult, or person significantly older, or in a position of power or control over the child, where the child is being used for sexual stimulation of the older person.

Accessory - A person who contributes to or aids in the commission of a crime, before or after it is committed.

Accommodation - Fitting in or conforming to the environment. This can refer to positive changes such as a child who shifts interests to accommodate to a new step-family, or negative changes, such as a child who becomes less resistant and assertive when repeatedly sexually abused by a member of the family.

Accomplice - A person who, knowingly, assists the primary perpetrator in a crime.

Acquittal - The finding in a criminal case that a defendant is not guilty of the crime charged.

Adult survivor of sexual abuse - A person who has undergone abuse as a child.

Conduct Disorder - A disruptive behavioral disorder during childhood and/or adolescence, characterized by persistent violation of the rights of others. This is a pattern often found in children legally determined to be delinquent, and can sometimes be found in adolescents who commit sexual offenses to younger and more vulnerable children as one of many exploitative and negative behavioral patterns.

Defense Mechanism - Unconscious attempts to provide relief from emotional conflict. Common ones include; denial, displacement, dissociation, projection, rationalization, and regression. There are others. Offenders almost always use denial to reduce the negative self-esteem that comes from realizing how destructive child molestation behaviors are.

Defendant - The alleged wrong doer in a criminal or civil case.

Delusion - A false belief system despite clear external evidence to the contrary. The most common delusions are of persecution or grandeur.

Denial - One of the primitive defense mechanisms involving disavowal of negative thoughts, feelings or behaviors that are true or have occurred. It differs from lying in that the person, at least partially, believes his/her own distortion. Rejecting the full reality and responsibility of an inappropriate behavior. Denial is common among sex offenders and persons with substance addictions.

Developmental Disability - A substantial handicap or impairment occurring prior to the age of 18.

Deviant Sexual Arousal - A pattern of sexual interest for inappropriate activities or objects. Sexual interest in prepubescent children is one example and is referred to as Pedophilia. Many other forms of deviant sexual arousal are also possible.

Empathy - The capacity for participating in another person's feelings or ideas; putting oneself into the psychological frame of reference of another person so the other person's thinking, feeling, and acting are understood. During the act of abuse of a child, empathy is usually missing from the abusing adult. Thus, measurement of empathy is thought to be an important aspect to assessment of recidivism risk for abusers.

Enuresis - Repeated voiding of urine into inappropriate places past the age of 4 and not due to a direct physiologic problem. Enuresis can be a symptom of many different problems, sometimes but not always, including sexual abuse.

Homosexuality - Sexual interest in persons of the same gender. Homosexuality is no longer considered a disorder and is currently believed to be unrelated to increased probability of sexual orientation toward children.

Hostile Witness - A witness who is subject to cross-examination by the same party who called him/her as a direct witness due to antagonism demonstrated during DIRECT EXAMINATION.

Hymen - Thin membranous tissue covering the opening to the vagina. It may be of various normal configurations other than the most commonly known shape of a ring of tissue narrowing the vaginal opening.

Incest - Sex / sexual relations with a relative.

Interrogation - An interview of a suspect believed to have committed a crime with the goal being a confession. An interrogation is not the same as an interview in that a conclusion has already been reached by the law enforcement investigator and the goal is less focused on obtaining  new information

Juvenile - In Georgia, a person under the age of 18; MINOR.

Juvenile Court - A court specifically established to hear cases concerning minors as victims of deprivation or as perpetrators of juvenile crimes.  

Mental Status - Psychological and behavioral functioning determined through observation and questioning. A "mental status exam" reviews such functioning covering such things as; affect, speech, thought content, perception, and cognitive functions.

Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) - Collaborative efforts of professionals from different disciplines toward a common goal. Effective intervention of child sexual abuse seems to be best accomplished through an MDT approach in which the common goal of reducing child sexual abuse, and reducing the negative effects of child sexual abuse, have more characteristics of O-AFFECT than pursuing one's individual or one's profession's goals while ignoring the broader goals of the entire team.

Perpetrator/Abuser - The person who sexually abuses a child for his/her own sexual gratification.

Pedophilia - One of the PARAPHILIAS indicating sexual interests and behavior by an adult generally towards prepubertal children.

Pedophile - An adult who indulges in sexual acts with a minor child and attains sexual gratification.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - A disorder following exposure to an overwhelming stressor involving threat of injury, death or threat to self plus a feeling of extreme helplessness and fear followed by symptoms of persistent mental re-experiencing of the trauma, avoidance of things associated with the trauma which are not dangerous, and hyper arousal of the AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM. Many victims of sexual abuse show some or all signs of PTSD, although some show none of these symptoms

Prevention - Taking active steps that reduce the PROBABILITY that an undesirable outcome may occur. Prevention of sexual abuse must include experiences for children and families that support thoughts, feelings and behaviors in opposition to abusive actions.

Probation - A method of allowing a person convicted of a minor offense to remain in community but having to follow special rules, and being supervised by a Probation Officer.

Prognosis - The prediction of the future course of an illness including mental health problems.

Projective Tests - Psychological tests used for diagnosis in which there is a wide range of possible responses thought to allow for a "projection" of internalized issues into the test data. Examples include projective drawing tests, inkblots, and imaginative story telling to pictures. Projective tests are useful in uncovering unconscious material, but tend to be less RELIABLE in scoring compared to objective tests that are NORMED. The value of projective test results is highly dependent on the clinical skill of the examiner.

Psychiatric Social Worker - A social worker with a master's or doctorate degree and specialized psychiatric training. In Georgia, the term more commonly used is Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW).

Psychiatrist - A licensed physician with specialized training in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental disorders. A Board Certified Adult Psychiatrist has a 4 year medical degree, medical license, and specialized psychiatric training to work with adults. A Board Certified Child Psychiatrist has this training as well as another subspecialty with children and adolescents. Psychiatrists can do psychotherapy, medication, and hospitalize persons for psychiatric disturbances. Sometimes their medical training is also related to psychiatric symptoms actually tied to physical problems (e.g. depression in a patient due to thyroid problems).

Psychologists - In Georgia, a person holding a doctoral degree (Ph.D. or Psy.D.) in psychology from an accredited program. There are many different specialty areas of psychology, not all of which deal with persons' mental, behavioral or emotional problems. School Psychologists must be certified through the State Department of Education to be employed within the schools. Clinical and Counseling Psychologists must be licensed in order to practice psychology independently.

Psychopathology - The manifestation of significant mental disorders. Also, the study of the origins and processes of these disorders.

Psychosexual Assessments - Interview approaches and tests focused on sexual functioning, especially sexual dysfunctioning and PARAPHILIAS.

Psychosexual Development - A psychoanalytic term referring to stages of development from a Freudian perspective.

Psychosomatic - An adjective used to describe physical symptoms that are at least influenced by psychological factors (e.g. headaches related to tension).

Psychotherapy - An intervention approach to reduce psychological symptoms.

Psychotropic - An adjective describing medications used for psychiatric symptom relief.

Relapse - An individual who has recovered or improved and subsequently experiences a return of symptoms is said to have experienced a relapse. A relapse of paraphilic symptoms that are illegal would be considered an example of a relapse and of RECIDIVISM

Sexual Abuser /Sex Offender - A person whose sexual behavior is directed at another who refused, or were not able, to offer their consent.

Survivor - The victim who learns to cope or is healed of the sexual abuse and has learned to relegate it to his past events with the clear understanding that he is not at fault. By this time he has more power to heal.

Sodomy - Sexual penetration of the ANUS by the penis of a male

Traumatic Amnesia - Difficulty being able to intentionally recall part or all of an extreme trauma event which became dissociated from normal consciousness and memory. Some of the worst trauma persons have experienced may be difficult to intentionally recall and discuss because of the process of dissociation. This subject is a topic of great controversy in contrast with the explanation of FALSE MEMORY.

Vagina - The female genital opening from the LABIA inside to the uterus.

Verdict - The final judgment of a jury or judge in either a civil or criminal case.

Vigilance - Alertness to potential danger. In victims of severe trauma, vigilance often includes the general alerting function or sentinel activity of the nervous system resulting in over responding and difficulty in returning to a relaxed state.

Victim - The child who suffers the abuse and is helpless and powerless.

Click here to download Arpan's pamphlet on child sexual abuse in pdf format



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