Children and young people disclosing sexual abuse: An introduction to the research.

Child sexual abuse is largely a silent and witness-free crime, often leaving no physical signs and actively hidden by perpetrators. These features of sexual abuse make its detection very difficult, with increasing importance placed on the victims disclosure of abuse for investigative and treatment purposes. It is recognized however, that children and young people may not readily tell somebody about i.e. disclose - experiences of sexual abuse. It is important that children can safely tell someone about their abuse to make it stop, and for them to receive help and support. This briefing looks at research on children telling somebody about sexual abuse: who, how and why they tell, and how those who are told about it might respond.