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Abstract
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The.World.Health.Organization.(WHO).defines.Child.Sexual.Abuse.(CSA).as."the involvement.of.a.child.in.sexual.activity.that.he.or.she.does.not.fully.comprehend,.is unable.to.give.informed.consent.to,.or.for.which.the.child.is.not.developmentally prepared and cannot give consent, or that violates the laws or social taboos of society."[1]..CSA.includes.an.array.of.sexual.activities.like.fondling,.inviting.a.child.to touch or be touched sexually, intercourse, exhibitionism, involving a child in prostitution or pornography, or online child luring by cyber-predators [2, 3].
CSA.is.a.serious.problem.of.considerable.magnitude.throughout.the.world..A.recent systematic review of 55 studies from 24 countries found much heterogeneity in studies in terms.of.definition.and.measurement.of.CSA.and.concluded.that.rates.of.CSA.ranged from 8 to 31% for females and from 3 to 17% for males [4]. Despite similar methodological.challenges,.other.systematic.reviews.which.included.studies.conducted worldwide across hundreds of different age-cohort samples have observed alarming rates of CSA, with averages of 18-20% for females and of 8-10% for males, with the lowest rates.for.both.girls.(11.3%).and.boys.(4.1%).found.in Asia,.and.highest.rates.found.for girls in Australia (21.5%) and for boys in Africa (19.3%) [5, 6].
CSA.has.profound.consequences.for.the.child..It.is.known.to.interfere.with.growth.and development [7, 8]. CSA has also been linked to numerous maladaptive health behaviors, and.poor.social,.mental.and.physical.health.outcomes.throughout.the.lifespan.[2,.9-10]. In accordance.with that,.there is evidence that CSA can affect neuro-biological systems, e.g..the.cortical.representation.of.the.genital.somatosensory.field.[11]..Other.common sequelae.for.adult.survivors.of.CSA.may.include.relational.challenges.(e.g.,.increased risk for domestic violence), violent behaviors, and increased risk of perpetration of CSA as adults...
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