While this includes one of the children using physical force, threats, trickery or emotional manipulation to elicit cooperation, it also can include non-coercive situations where the initiator proposes or starts a sexual act that the victim does not understand the nature of and simply goes along with, not comprehending its implications or what the consequences might be.
[3] When victims of inter-sibling child-on-child sexual abuse grow up, they often have a distorted recollection of the act, such as thinking it was consensual or that they were the initiator.
[11] Research estimates that over half of child sexual abuse offenses in the United States are committed by perpetrators under the age of 18.
[4] Major factors that affect the severity of symptoms include the use of force or coercion, the frequency of the abuse, and the invasiveness of the act.
[15] The term minor sex offenders may be used for children under 18 years of age who have initiated any non-consensual sexual activity with another person.