How Abuse Happens

This site, as always, is dedicated to an understanding of the facts about child sexual abuse and its prevention, so that we can have calm and rational conversations about it. Part of knowing the facts means, yes, we must understand how and why abuse happens.

Child sexual abuse often happens in specific circumstances at specific times of the day. While perpetrators and potential perpetrators of abuse are not as specific or predictable, knowing that abuse often happens one-on-one in a residence means we can form safety boundaries that prevent that specific situation.

Child sexual abuse is usually a process by which an abuser breaks down their barriers to abusing a child and the child’s resistance to being abused. While some abuse happens in specific situations, like the consumption of drugs or alcohol, and does not take time to perpetrate, these cases are in the minority and still have warning signs we can watch for.

Regardless of the specific situation in which sexual abuse happens (and there are many), there are almost always behavior signs we can be aware of and ways we can intervene before sexual abuse happens. These interventions truly take an entire community to be effective, and that starts with you.

Will you be brave and learn how and why sexual abuse happens?