Sexual abuse of children by adults is using children for the purpose of sexual arousal and forecasting. If abuse occurs within the family, it is called incest or domestic abuse.
People who sexually abuse children are mostly not strangers who fools them with candy, but the people who the child knows, trusts and even his/her relatives from inside or outside the family. Even though incest is very common, it remains hidden in many cases as the children find it difficult to tell it. Even when the children tell about the incestuous abuse, because of the societal values attributed to the family, incest tries to be covered up to prevent the offenders being punished. This detrimental experience which can deeply affect the child’s life in the future can be kept secret for many years and the damage it causes can be very severe. The difficulties of conducting research on incestuous abuse are obvious. However, studies in several countries report that 1 of every 4 children experience sexual abuse within the family.
