People who sexually abuse children rely on many methods to force children to keep quiet. They may be subtle, telling the child they are doing it for their own good or promising those favors or gifts. It can be more blatant, such as a father warning his daughter that if she tells anyone, the family will be broken up and everyone will blame her. The abuser may convince the child they are equal partners; they have special affection for the child and will be blamed if disclosure is made. Many abusers use threats, telling the child pets will be hurt, siblings will be targeted, or even the child himself will be killed if he/she tells. .
Child sexual abuse according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families fall under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. There are two types of statues in which the definition of sexual abuse can be found-child protection (civil) and criminal. Sexual Abuse (A) the employment, use, persuasion, inducement, enticement, or coercion of any child to engage in, or assist any other person to engage in, or assist and other persons to engage in, any sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct: or (B) rape, molestation, prostitution, or other form of sexual exploitation of children, or incest with children. According to Goldman and Grimbeek (2011), mandatory reporting may be defined as "legislation which specifies who is required by law to report suspected cases of child abuse and neglect" (National Child Protection Clearinghouse 2004, 1). The first laws requiring the mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse were introduced in the United States in the 1960s, and by 1967 all American states had passed child reporting statutes (Ainsworth 2002; Rodriguez 2002).
According to Peckham (2007), states that "unlike the popular myth abusers do not tend to be strangers on street corners but familiar trusted people" (p.