Los Angeles, CA Sexual Abuse Lawyer

Child sexual abuse can have several severe and lifelong consequences, no matter what type of abuse occurred. Sexual abuse can include both non-contact actions – such as exposing children to sexual acts and pornography, performing grooming, and encouraging children to watch or hear sexual acts – and contact actions – such as engaging in sexual activity with a child, touching a child sexually, or making a child take his or her clothes off. For survivors of contact abuse, signs of physical damage can be present, such as sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and injuries from penetration. In both types of sexual abuse, children have an increased chance of developing mental illnesses such as PTSD, depression, eating disorders, dissociative patterns, suppression, and anxiety. They are also more likely to engage in reckless behaviors throughout their lives. These impacts can affect a child well into adulthood.