Sexual abuse is when someone touches you in a sexual way or forces you to touch them. The touching is unwanted and uninvited. Sexual abuse can also happen without touching, such as being forced to look at sexual pictures of people or watch pornography. This kind of abuse is usually done by someone who is older, has authority or power over you, or is someone who you thought you could trust.

Sexual abuse is not the same as sexual harassment, which includes saying sexual things about a person’s body, or looking at someone in a sexual way. Both sexual abuse and sexual harassment are wrong. Click here for more information on sexual harassment.

Sexual abuse is frightening and confusing. No one deserves it, and it is never your fault.

In this section, you will learn more about sexual abuse, what to do if it is happening to you now or in the past, and how to help a friend. You can also find links to games and tools and read posts from other teens.