Introduction

The sexual abuse and exploitation of children has endured, and continues, on what is arguably an unimaginable scale, with the World Health Organization (WHO and ISPCAN, 2006) estimating that worldwide 223 million children experience child sexual abuse (CSA). The multiple terms used to define the sexual abuse and exploitation of children are intertwined with the political interest and newly acquired or rediscovered attention that precipitates public attention on such abuse (Brown and Barrett, 2013). In the UK, the difference in terminology, and the justification for the legal and social abhorrence, or tolerance, of the sexual abuse of children has largely been dependent on the familial or commercial relationship between the adult and the child. Thus, a child who is abused by a member or close friend of their family is currently considered to have been subject to CSA, whereas a child subject to abuse by someone beyond their family is now constructed as being exploited. This chapter explores the various terms that construct what is deemed a sexual offence against a child and critiques the problematic nature of this binary model. In doing so, it will explore the definition of childhood and the broad range of ages that different countries use in legislating on the ability to consent to sexual activity.

Given the prolific nature of childhood sexual abuse and exploitation, many of you may have experienced this type of trauma or may know someone who has. You are not alone. We are all human, and too many of us are not sheltered from the impact of abuse. Therefore, I would like to affirm the importance of good self-care and of seeking support when you deem it necessary. Knowing when to seek support is a key function in maintaining our wellbeing and ensuring the quality of our practice. With that said, this chapter interrogates the policies that intertwine with social work practice, to construct what is deemed to constitute CSA and exploitation and how we respond (or not) to it.

International legislative context

Across the world, the age at which a person can legally consent to sexual activity ranges from 11 years of age in Nigeria and 12 years in the Philippines to 20 years in South Korea and 21 years in Bahrain.