sexual abuse

a statutory offense that provides that it is a crime to knowingly cause another person to engage in an unwanted sexual act by force or threat

"most states have replaced the common law definition of rape with statutes defining sexual assault"

abuse Sexual abuse is a relative cultural term used to describe sexual relations and sexual behaviorbehavior between two or more parties which are considered crimecriminally and/or morally offensive. Different types of sexual abuse involve:

Non-consentual, forced physical sexual behavior such as rape or sexual assault

Psychological forms of abuse, such as verbal sexual behavior or stalking.

The issue of consent - In the majority of cultures and countries, sex is legal and acceptable only if both parties give informed consent. In most western countries, the term "informed consent" is doubled as a legal term as well; one which applies to mainstream ideals.In some cases, some forms of sexual behavior are still considered illegal even though both parties are able to give informed consent, such as specific practices involved with BDSM (due to it being legally defined as assault, regardless of informed consent).Most societies have strict laws, edict, and moral beliefs as to who may consent to sex. In most jurisdictions, disadvantaged classes of people such as minors and mental retardationmentally retarded people have limited or no rights to give legal, informed consent, even though the parties involved may truly be consenting and willing to such actions. The debate about who can truly consent to sex is a controversial subject which crosses borders of law and culture. For this reason, many of the terms and phrases used can be blurred between the two as to what is truly abusive sexual behavior and what isn't.

Spousal sexual abuse - Main article: spousal abuse''Spousal abuse is the term applied to the specific form of domestic violence, where physical abusephysical or sexual abuse is perpetuated by one spouse upon another. This is typically perpetuated by a male upon a female in a heterosexual relationship, although females and homosexuals also inflict abuse sometimes.

Student and patient sexual exploitation - Students are sometimes victims of sexual exploitation by teachers and professors, see Academic seduction Academic abuse. Even if the sexual contact is simple consentconsented to (or even initiated) by the student, it may be considered a form of abuse on the presumption that the teacher or professor is apt to exploit his or her position of authority in a subtle form of psychological coercion. Whether this is a sound presumption in all cases may be disputed. For a famous example of a teacher-student relationship, see Mary Kay Letourneau. Patients of psychotherapists are another common category of sexual exploitation; see Psychotherapist abuse.

Minor sexual abuse as it relates to law - Main article: Child sexual abuseAccording to United States of AmericaUnited States law, minors under the age of consent can only give "simple consent", but not informed consent, to sexual activity. State laws generally differentiate between an adult engaging in sexual activities with minors. Generally speaking, the two categorizations of charges faced are:

Sex between a minor child/prepubescent/tween and an adult is "child sexual abuse".

Sex between a minor adolescent/teen/youth and an adult is "statutory rape".According to some state laws in the U.S., if two or more minors under the age of consent engage in sex with each other, they may ''both'' be (somewhat paradoxically) classified as victims of sexual abuse. Cases in which both participants are minors have historically not been prosecuted, although a shift in the direction of prosecuting minors for consensual sex with other minors seems to have occurred in the last several decades. (See www33.brinkster.com - Ethical Treatment for All Youth for examples.)pt:Abuso sexual

Nikki de Villiers
Nikki de Villiers suffered at the hands of a paedophile and her life was filled with tragedies including, unplanned pregnancy,divorce,homlessness, mental and physical abuse gang rape and murder.
http://www.nikkide.com/

Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN)
Amos-supported charity that operates a 24-hour national rape hotline and works to prevent sexual assault and help victims. Includes statistics, counseling resources, prevention tips and news.
http://www.rainn.org/

Factors in the cycle of violence
by Jim Hopper PhD -- If circumcision is sexual child abuse, how does that affect the male when he grows up? The sexual abuse of boys and its lasting effects in the lives of men. How and why some abused boys become violent men.
http://www.jimhopper.com/

University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UTK) - Computer Science Department
Offers B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in computer science. Research interests include algorithms and computability, scientific computing, genetic algorithms, image analysis, and neural networks. Online resources include UTK news reports and study abroad opportunities for computer science majors.
http://www.cs.utk.edu/