The crime of sexual abuse of children

Children have been exposed to abuse, because of the weakness of their physical and physicological structure, throughout the human history. As the types of abuse against children are physical, emotional and sexual; our research topic sexual abuse is one of the most common abuse types.No. 5237 Turkish Penal Code has brought a conceptual difference to the arrangements in no. 765 Turkish Penal Code and while describing the sexual attitude towards adults as sexual attact, it named this kind of attitude towards children as sexual abuse. The legislator, has made a distinction according to the age groups in 103rd topic, while considering all kind of sexual attitude towards children under fifteen and with being over fifteen but unable to sense the legal meaning and results of the attitude, as abuse, it considers sexual attitude based on forcing, threatening, cheating or another reason effecting the will, against children over fifteen as abuse.Arrangements related to major sexual abuse are given place in the 2nd subclause of the topic, and major sexual abuse is decribed as; the insertion of an organ or another thing to the victim?s body by the perpetrator. In this way the meaning given to sexual abuse or attack has expanded differently from the old arrangements and the occurance of the crime has become an issue in case of the insertion of even an organ other than the sexual organ or another thing to the victims body. The treating of the crime; by such people like tutelar having certain blood relationship, trainer, teacher, healt carer, a person in charge of guarding and taking care, or a person?s bad use of the authority obtained by the job (service) relation; has caused the penal to be impaired, considering that such people can commit the crime much more easily.The investigation and the prosecution of this crime is of special importance as the victims of the crime are children. In this aspect, the verdicts of the Penal Court Code should be applied meticulously and the already victimed child, should not be victimized more in the judgement process.Keywords : Sexual Abuse, Sexual Attact, Sexual Molestation, Victim Child.