Understand and Responding Child Abuse

Understanding and responding: for professionals working with children who have experienced sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse Acknowledgments
Published by Office for Children, Victorian Government Department of Human Services Melbourne, Victoria

May 2009 © Copyright State of Victoria, Department of Human Services, 2006 This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. This document may also be downloaded from the Department of Human Services website at: http://www.office-for-children.vic.gov.au/family-violence-sexual-assault/ library/publications

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Big Print, 45 Buckhurst Street, Sth Melbourne 3205. Child sexual abuse i
Contents
Introduction ....................................................................................................................1

What is child sexual abuse .............................................................................................2

Towards an estimate of child sexual abuse .....................................................................4

Indicators of child sexual abuse .....................................................................................5

Physical indicators ....................................................................................................5

Behavioural indicators ...............................................................................................6

Facts and myths about child sexual abuse .....................................................................8

Effects of child sexual abuse ........................................................................................10

Principles for intervention ............................................................................................11

Helping children who have experienced sexual abuse

References: Finkelhor, D. 1979, Sexually Victimised Children, Free Press, New York Finkelhor, D Finkelhor, D. 1986, A Sourcebook on Child Sexual Abuse, Sage Publications, London Friedrich, W.N., Urquiza, A.J., and Beilke, R.L., 1986 ‘Behaviour Problems in Sexually Groth, A.N. 1979, ‘Sexual Trauma in the Life Histories of Rapists and Child Molesters’, Victimology: An International Journal, vol.4, pp Herman, J. 1981, Father-Daughter Incest, Harvard University Press, Cambridge Jones, M Sexual Offences Against Children: Report of the Committee on Sexual Offences Against Children and Youths, 1984, 2 vols, Canada