What happens to kids that have been sexually assaulted?

Kids that have been sexually assaulted go through a lot. The sexual assault will typically start out where the kid is groomed by their abuser. This is where the kid begins to trust the abuser and the abuser befriends the kid (if the kid doesn't already know the abuser). This grooming process is to lower the kids inhibitions in preparation for sexual abuse. The process of grooming may take a while to build that trust, but it is this process that will make it harder for the kid to come forward later once that abuse has begun and tell. This is because it is harder to tell on someone that you trust or care about. Some of the ways that abuser use to groom kids may not be illegal in and of themselves, but when taken as a whole indicate that the abuser is grooming the kid to sexually abuse him/her.

Once the abuser has groomed the kid and the kid is receptive or responsive to sexual advances, the abuser is now open to doing any number of different acts, including exposing his/her genitals to the kid, displaying pornography, viewing the kid's genitals, physical contact with the kid's genitals, sexual contact with the kid's genitals (including masturbation, oral sex, vaginal sex [if female], and anal sex), or using the kid to produce child pornography. All of these acts are harmful to the kid, maybe not physically, but definitely mentally and emotionally. It is illegal to have do any of the above with a child under the age of consent; it is abuse and it harms the kid. Many times the kid is afraid to come forward because they are afraid that they won't be believed or they are afraid that they or someone they know will be hurt if they tell. Often times, the abuser will play on these and other fears as a means to keep the kid quiet. Sexual abuse is under-reported with some estimates being that 60% of all sexual assaults are not reported.