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by knowing the types and signs of child abuse and neglect

Sexual Abuse or Exploitation

In Pennsylvania, all of the actions listed below are considered to be sexual offenses. The severity of the offenses listed range from touching to nontouching behaviors. Adults often recognize touching behaviors as harmful to a child and therefore are more easily able to recognize these forms of sexual abuse as being required to report. It is essential to raise awareness about nontouching sexually abusive and exploitative behaviors, because it is often these behaviors in which an abuser will first engage a child in with the goal of desensitizing the child and normalizing inappropriate sexual behaviors. You should recognize that both touching and nontouching behaviors can constitute abuse, and if they do, it must be reported.

Touching and Nontouching behavior table
Touching Behaviors Nontouching, Exploitative Behaviors
  • Rape
  • Sexual assault
  • Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse
  • Aggravated indecent assault
  • Molestation
  • Incest
  • Prostitution
  • Statutory sexual assault*

Adults often recognize touching behaviors as harmful to a child and therefore are more easily able to recognize these forms of sexual abuse as being required to report.
  • Indecent exposure
  • Sexual exploitation
    • Exposing a child to adult sexual activity
    • Exposing a child to adult movies
    • Showing sexually suggestive or explicit photographs to children or taking such photographs
    • Sexualized talk
    • Having a child pose, undress, or perform in a sexual nature

The nontouching, exploitative behaviors are more difficult to recognize and distinguish as mandated to report.

*Statutory sexual assault is a crime in Pennsylvania, as the law states it is illegal to have sexual intercourse consensually with someone under the age of 16 if the other person is 4 or more years older. In addition, a child under the age of 13 cannot voluntarily consent to sex acts, regardless of the age of their partner (i.e., even if there's less than a 4-year age difference between the two). While Statutory Sexual Assault is not included in the definition of child abuse as per ACT 179 and does NOT fall within the boundaries of mandated reporting, nothing prevents you from reporting.

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