RAINN’s hotline is free and confidential, every hour of every day: 800-656-4673. If a child is at risk now, Childhelp is at 800-422-4453. The National Human Trafficking Hotline is 1-888-373-7888, or text 233733. If you are thinking about suicide, call or text 988. In immediate danger, call 911.
Most sexual abuse is committed by someone the survivor already knows. The CDC reports that about 90% of child sexual abuse is committed by someone “known and trusted by the child or child’s family members,” and that the perpetrator of sexual violence “is usually someone the survivor knows.”
That is why these pages start from definitions rather than stereotypes. Each one uses the words of federal law or of the federal agency that tracks the problem, gives every figure with its year, and stays free of graphic detail. The forms overlap, so read whichever is closest to what happened and follow the links between them. You do not need the right label to get help.
The five guides
Under 18
Child sexual abuse
The CDC and federal child welfare definitions, signs adults can notice, where a report goes, and claims against abusers and the organizations that supervised them, including Masha’s Law, 18 U.S.C. 2255.
18 and over
Adult sexual assault
What federal law means by a nonconsensual sexual act, reporting choices (24% of rape or sexual assault victimizations were reported to police in 2024), and claims against employers, rideshare companies and other businesses.
How access is gained
Grooming
How an abuser builds trust, access and secrecy in person and online, the warning signs the Justice Department and FBI describe, and why grooming can matter in a claim against an organization.
Images and threats
Online exploitation and sextortion
Sextortion and image abuse, reporting to the CyberTipline (21.3 million reports in 2025), getting images removed through Take It Down and the 2025 TAKE IT DOWN Act, and claims against people and platforms.
Force, fraud, coercion, or under 18
Sex trafficking
The federal definition, signs the National Human Trafficking Hotline lists, and civil claims under 18 U.S.C. 1595 against traffickers and businesses that knowingly benefit.
Where these lead
Many claims are brought against the organization that let abuse happen rather than only the person who did it. Our institutions hub covers each setting, from schools and churches to foster care and juvenile detention, and our lawsuits page follows the mass cases, from Los Angeles County to the rideshare and gaming platform litigation. The case tracker lists every matter we follow, and each claim on those pages is an allegation unless a court has ruled.
Deadlines differ by state and by defendant; the statute of limitations reference covers each state. Survivors can often sue under initials, which our guide to filing anonymously explains. Support that does not depend on any legal step is collected under survivor support, including how reporting works, trauma and healing and a guide for families.
Questions we are asked most
Start with the one closest to what happened, and do not worry about choosing the right label. The forms overlap: grooming can come before child sexual abuse, sextortion is a form of online exploitation, and a child in commercial sex is legally a trafficking victim. Each page links to the others.
No. Child sexual abuse, by the CDC's definition, involves a child who does not or cannot give informed consent, and federal law defines sexual assault as a nonconsensual sexual act, including when a person lacks capacity to consent. Responsibility lies with the person who did it, and in some cases with an organization that let it happen.
No. Hotlines and support services do not require a report, and a civil claim does not need a police report. Whether to report, and when, is the survivor's decision.
It may be, depending on the state and the facts. Claims against schools, churches, youth programs, employers and other organizations usually ask whether the organization took reasonable care in hiring and supervising the person and acted on warnings it had. Federal law also allows claims against anyone who knowingly benefits from a trafficking venture it knew or should have known about (18 U.S.C. 1595).
RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673, any hour. Childhelp at 800-422-4453 for and about children, by call or text. The National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, or text 233733. Call or text 988 if you are thinking about suicide, and call 911 in immediate danger.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, About Child Sexual Abuse (page last reviewed May 16, 2024).
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, About Sexual Violence (page last reviewed December 17, 2025).
- 34 U.S.C. 12291(a)(35), definition of sexual assault.
- Bureau of Justice Statistics, Criminal Victimization, 2024 (September 2025).
- National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, CyberTipline Data 2025.
- 18 U.S.C. 2255 and 18 U.S.C. 1595, federal civil remedies.
- National Human Trafficking Hotline; Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline.
