What does sexual abuse entail?

• A. Sexual contact or interaction between a child and an adult or older child, including indecent exposure, fondling, touching sexual organs, forcible rape, sodomy, exploitation, and showing pornography.
• B. Only rape
• C. Neglect
• D. Inadequate supervision

Answer: (A)

Sexual abuse in children means any sexual activity or exposure involving a child by an adult or an older child. The best answer captures a broad range of harmful acts, including indecent exposure, fondling, touching a child’s sexual organs, rape, sodomy, exploitation, and showing pornography to a child. It’s not limited to one act like rape; it includes both contact and non-contact behaviors that harm a child’s safety and well-being. Neglect or inadequate supervision describe other forms of mistreatment that do not involve sexual acts, so they don’t fit the concept of sexual abuse. Recognizing the full range helps in identifying and reporting abuses to protect the child.