What is Sexual Abuse?

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Sexual abuse is everywhere.  In a nutshell sexual abuse is any unwanted sexual contact, verbal or physical. Over 90% of sexual abuse is perpetrated by men. One in Four girls will be sexually abused by her 17th birthday. Sexual abuse claims no specific ethnicity, religion,social class. SEXUAL ABUSE IS NEVER THE FAULT OF THE SURVIVOR. EVERYONE CAN HEAL FROM SEXUAL ABUSE. In our book Invisible Girls many girls tell their experiences of being abused and most importantly their experiences of deep deep healing. To weed out any confusion :

Here are some basic descriptions:

· Having any of your private parts touched

· Being fondled

· Being penetrated genitally through sodomy or intercourse

· Being asked to sit on the lap of an adult and having the adult rub their genitals against you

· Having an adult rub against you or touch you in any way that makes you uncomfortable and refusing to stop when asked to

· Having to watch an adult masturbate

Non-Touching Sexual Abuse:

· Being asked to view pornographic materials

· Having pictures taken of you in sexual poses

· Being spoken to with sexual intonation (i.e., “you look like a slut,” “you must be screwing around,” “look at your breasts; they look really firm”)

· Being repeatedly walked in on in the bathroom or your bedroom

· Having an adult repeatedly leave the bathroom door open when they are inside

· Being asked by an adult if they can check out your breasts and genitals

· Being forced into conversations about sex

-- Selected from Chapter 2 Invisible Girls