Children victims of sexual abuse: some aspects observed in their development

Child sexual abuse is one of the most frequent form of maltreatment, which has medical, legal, and psychosocial implications. This review of the literature points out to some consequences of child sexual abuse, aiming to the understanding of its impact on the child’s development. The adverse effects of sexual abuse, the negative reaction of the family, and the unpreparedness of professionals represent potencial source of psychological damage to the child. Due to these factors, the children who are victimized are at risk. For this reason, it is necessary to professionalize the people who work with these children and their families to allow them to do proper diagnosis and to carry out proper interventions.

sexual abuse; child; development