Philadelphia Child Sexual Abuse Lawyer

What Qualifies as Child Sexual Abuse?

Child sexual abuse can take on many forms, including:

• Inappropriate touching or fondling
• Indecent exposure
• Having a child take part in the creation of pornographic material
• Oral sexual contact
• Intercourse

Where Are Children Most Commonly Abused?

Child sexual abuse often occurs in settings where children are participating in regular childhood activities, such as:

• At daycares and schools
• When participating in after-school programs like gymnastics, sports, music classes, and driver’s ed classes
• While participating in summer camp
• During a religious meeting, like a youth group
• Homes and private residences

Which Perpetrators Are Generally Responsible for Sexually Abusing Children in Philadelphia?

Most sexual abuse inflicted upon children is carried out by individuals the juvenile is close to or knows. Why? It comes down to them having that trusting relationship with them that allows them to get close and groom them for often more invasive treatment over time. Individuals we’ve found directly abuse children that we’ve held civilly liable along with third-party facilitators include:

• Teachers
• Coaches
• Pastors and priests
• Camp counselors
• School bus drivers
• Social workers
• Pediatricians
• Daycare workers
• After-school instructors
• Tutors
• Family members

We also file cases against human traffickers who peddle children for the sexual exploits of others.

Essentially, anyone who may have been in close contact with a child could potentially be an abuser. Additionally, we often sue third parties, such as schools, camps, churches, and other entities, for improper screening practices and other types of negligent oversight if their actions contributed to children having contact with an abuser.

Lasting Effects of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Kids forced to endure sexual abuse may experience lingering behavioral and emotional impacts associated with what they went through, including:

• Distrust of others
• Sudden shifts in mood
• Anxiety
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Depression
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Panic attacks

While mental health treatment can assist with many of the aforementioned ill effects tied to abuse, it may never completely erase the memory or fully restore the child to the person they could have been had they not been subjected to the inappropriate treatment.

Results That Make a Difference

How Consent and Abuse Intersect

Sexual abuse, by definition, is any non-consensual sexually oriented interactions or contact. Given how kids of certain ages, as described above, are not lawfully able to consent, any treatment between them and someone else would likely constitute abuse. When it comes to teens who are entitled to consent to sexual activity with their peer groups, provided the parties involved meet the specified age requirements and they’re both in agreement to participate in sexual activity, it’s unlikely their interaction would constitute abuse.

Although teens 16 and over can lawfully make a decision themselves to engage in sexual activity in Pennsylvania, their partners may not realize that they can rescind their consent at any point. If they do this, any activity that occurs after they do so could constitute sexual abuse.

Additionally, PCAR points out that institutional sexual abuse applies to children regardless of their age—even if they’d otherwise be of age to give consent. Under this law, any sexually oriented treatment a minor receives in a setting such as the following may also constitute sexual abuse:

• Schools
• A county or state jail
• A licensed residential facility that serves youth
• Group home

Rights Child Sexual Abuse Victims Have in Philadelphia

Like any other crime or personal injury victims, Pennsylvania law affords youth abused by others the right to file a personal injury lawsuit to recover compensation for their incident-related damages from all responsible parties.

At the same time, the responsibility rests on the shoulders of victims like you to put forward a successful claim that proves negligence and connects a violation or breach of duty to your losses.

This is where it can be helpful to have an attorney aid you in building a sound case for liability. When you work with a Philadelphia child sexual abuse lawyer on our team, we’ll make sure we pursue every possible liable party to ensure you receive all the compensation you’re entitled to. Contact us now so we can do the same for you.

Filing Deadlines Applicable to Child Sexual Assault Cases

While in an ideal world, no child would ever face abuse, those who do often face it at a very young age. While some may have firsthand knowledge of what happened, others may only recall what occurred after going through therapy and having repressed memories rise to the surface. In cases like the latter, it’s not uncommon for individuals not to become aware of the abuse they endured in their teens, their adult years, or later in adulthood.

Here in Pennsylvania, anyone who faced sexual abuse as a child has at least until the day they turn 20 to file a lawsuit against any parties liable for what happened.

Extenuating circumstances may extend that deadline beyond that birthday. So, it’s best to speak with a child sexual abuse lawyer in Philadelphia if you’ve surpassed the statutory filing period to understand what additional rights you may have.