Thank you for this question. We receive a lot of questions about COCSA and I encourage you to read some of our other answers that relate to this as well as our recent blog post that summarizes what we know about it for more information.
COCSA stands for Child on Child Sexual Abuse. It refers to sexual activity between children that involves coercion, force, or lack of consent. Determining whether sexual behavior between children is abusive depends on factors like whether there is a significant age or developmental difference, use of force, coercion, or manipulation, and how the children feel about what happened.
Some sexual play and exploration between similarly-aged children is normal and healthy. Typical childhood sexual play is spontaneous, voluntary, lighthearted, easily diverted, balanced in power, and occurs between friends. Concerning signs include one child exerting power over the other, secrecy, strong emotions like anger or anxiety, and behaviors that are compulsive or adult-like.
Unfortunately, research on COCSA is still emerging and resources can be limited.
Some key takeaways are:
Thank you for asking a question about this important topic. We appreciate it.
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Our Wave es una 501(c)(3) organización sin ganancia y un servicio anónimo. Para recursos adicionales, visite el sitio web RAINN o la campaña It's On Us. Si esto es una emergencia, comuníquese con el servicio de emergencia local.