Sexual Abuse of Children

Abstract

Sexual abuse is an inclusion of a child in sexual activity, which he/she is not able to fully understand. Such facts are rarely disclosed, due to the sensitivity of the topic and lack of knowledge of an adult guardian. The legal responsibility of perpetrators for sexual exploitation is normatively regulated in the Polish criminal law. The article is aimed to demonstrate the symptoms and forms of sexual abuse. It should be noted that the hidden nature of this phenomenon is the main limitation of its measurement and in consequence in answering the question about the scale and nature of the problem. As a rule, the only people who have full knowledge of the situation is the child and the perpetrator.