Use of language
This guide is about communicating with children in relation to child sexual abuse. For the sake of simplicity we will generally refer to anyone under the age of 18 as ‘child’ and it is important to remember that child sexual abuse affects children and young people right up to the age of 18.
We have also chosen to avoid some terms that are sometimes understood differently or that feel uncomfortable for some:
- Instead of “perpetrator” or “abuser”, we talk about “the person who has been reported to have sexually abused the child”.
- Instead of “disclosure”, we have said “when a child tells us” or similar
