the resource project
Glossary of Common Terms
Abuse
Abuse is any action that intentionally harms another person. Child sexual abuse includes any sexual activity involving a child or youth that they cannot legally or developmentally consent to.
Age of Consent
The age at which a young person can legally agree to sexual activity. In Canada, the general age of consent is 16 years old, although there are important exceptions involving close-in-age relationships and situations involving positions of trust, authority, or exploitation.
Acquittal / Acquitted
A finding by a criminal court that the accused has not been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. An acquittal does not necessarily mean the court determined that the alleged abuse did not happen.
Bail
If someone is charged with a criminal offence, they may be released from custody while waiting for court. The court can impose bail conditions, such as having no contact with the child or family, staying away from certain places, or not possessing weapons.
Balance of Probabilities
A standard of proof generally used in civil proceedings and in some other processes. It means deciding whether something is more likely than not to have occurred.
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
The high standard of proof required for a criminal conviction in Canada. The Crown must prove the accused's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Boundary
A boundary is a limit that helps keep people physically and emotionally safe. Healthy adults respect children's boundaries, including their right to privacy, personal space, and the ability to say "no" to unwanted touch.
Child Advocacy
Child advocacy means ensuring that a child's rights, safety, voice, and well-being are protected throughout the reporting, investigation, court process, and recovery.
Child Protection
Child protection refers to services that help keep children safe from abuse and neglect. In Halton Region, these services are provided by the Halton Children's Aid Society (CAS).
Children's Aid Society (CAS)
Children's Aid Societies are responsible for protecting children under Ontario's Child, Youth and Family Services Act. When there are concerns that a child may be at risk of abuse or neglect, CAS assesses the child's safety, supports families, and works with community partners. Their role is child safety—not punishing families.
Child Sexual Abuse (CSA)
Child sexual abuse occurs when a child or youth is involved in sexual activity that they cannot understand, cannot consent to, or that violates the law. Abuse may involve physical contact or non-contact behaviours, including exposure to sexual material, online exploitation, sexual conversations, or encouraging a child to create or share sexual images.
Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Material (CSAEM)
Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Material (CSAEM) is the current Canadian legal term for certain visual, written or audio material that sexually exploits children or depicts child sexual abuse. It replaces the former term “child pornography” in Canadian federal law.
Child Sexual Exploitation
Child sexual exploitation occurs when a child or youth is sexually abused, manipulated, or taken advantage of for another person’s benefit. It can occur in person or online and may involve sexual images, grooming, sextortion, trafficking, or exchanging sexual activity for money, gifts, shelter, substances, attention, or other perceived needs.
Child and Youth Advocacy Centre (CYAC)
A Child and Youth Advocacy Centre (CYAC) brings together professionals such as police, child protection, victim services, medical and mental-health providers to coordinate a child-focused response to abuse. Services and team structure vary by centre.
Civil Lawsuit / Civil Claim
A legal proceeding in which a person seeks a remedy—often financial compensation—for harm caused by another person or, in some circumstances, an organization. A civil claim is separate from a criminal prosecution and does not necessarily require a criminal conviction.
Coercive Control
Coercive control is a pattern of behaviour used to dominate, manipulate, intimidate, or isolate another person. It may include threats, intimidation, monitoring, emotional abuse, financial control, or making someone feel responsible for the abuser's behaviour.
Consent
Consent means freely agreeing to participate in an activity. Consent must be voluntary, informed, ongoing, and can be withdrawn at any time. Canadian law places age-based limits on sexual consent, including close-in-age exceptions for some young people. For 16- and 17-year-olds, consent is not legally valid in relationships involving trust, authority, dependency or exploitation.
Counselling
Counselling is professional support that helps children, youth, adults, and families understand and cope with the emotional, physical, and psychological effects of trauma.
Crown Attorney
A Crown Attorney is the lawyer who represents the public in criminal prosecutions. Their role is to present evidence in court and determine whether there is a reasonable prospect of conviction and whether proceeding is in the public interest.
Disclosure
A disclosure is when a child or adult tells someone that sexual abuse has happened. Disclosures may be direct ("Someone hurt me.") or indirect ("I don't want to go there anymore."). Many children disclose gradually over time rather than all at once.
Dissociation
Emotional Regulation
Emotional regulation is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage emotions in healthy ways. Children who have experienced trauma may need additional support developing these skills.
Emotional Safety
Emotional safety is the feeling that a person can express their thoughts and emotions without fear of being judged, blamed, ignored, or harmed.
Evidence
Evidence is information that may help investigators understand what happened. It can include statements, physical evidence, digital communications, photographs, medical findings, witness accounts, or other information relevant to the investigation.
Flashback
A flashback is a trauma response in which a person feels as though they are reliving a past traumatic event. Flashbacks can involve vivid memories, emotions, physical sensations, or images that feel very real.
Forensic Interview
A forensic interview is a carefully planned conversation with a child conducted by specially trained professionals. The goal is to gather accurate information in a way that is developmentally appropriate, legally sound, and minimizes additional trauma. Parents are generally not present during the interview.
Grooming
Grooming is a deliberate process used by some offenders to gain a child's trust—and often the trust of parents, caregivers, or the wider community—before committing sexual abuse. Grooming can involve giving gifts, providing extra attention, offering special privileges, spending excessive one-on-one time with a child, gradually crossing personal boundaries, or making sexual behaviours seem normal.
Grooming may also include isolating a child from supportive adults, encouraging secrecy, creating emotional dependence, or manipulating a child into believing the abuse is their fault. In today's world, grooming can occur both in person and online through gaming platforms, social media, messaging apps, and other digital spaces.
Not every caring adult who spends time with children is grooming them. The concern arises when behaviours are used to build trust for the purpose of exploitation or abuse.
Human Trafficking
Human trafficking involves recruiting, transporting, transferring, receiving, holding, concealing or exercising control, direction or influence over a person for the purpose of exploiting them. Children and youth may be trafficked for sexual exploitation, including within their own communities; trafficking does not require crossing a border.
Hypervigilance
Hypervigilance is a heightened state of alertness in which a person constantly scans for danger, even when there is no immediate threat. Children may startle easily, appear "on edge," or have difficulty relaxing.
Intrusive Thoughts
Intrusive thoughts are unwanted memories, images, or thoughts about a traumatic event that enter a person's mind unexpectedly. They are common after trauma and do not mean someone wants or chooses to think about what happened.
Limitation Period
The period of time within which certain legal proceedings normally must be started. In Ontario, there is no limitation period for a civil proceeding based on sexual assault, with additional exceptions applying to certain sexual misconduct.
Mandatory Reporting
Under Ontario law, anyone who has reasonable grounds to suspect that a child under 16 is or may be in need of protection must immediately report the concern directly to a Children’s Aid Society. Concerns about a youth who is 16 or 17 may still be reported, although Ontario’s general mandatory duty to report does not apply in the same way.
National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR)
A Canadian law-enforcement database containing information about people who are legally required to register under Canada's sex-offender registration laws. It is not a public registry, and a parent cannot independently have someone added because an allegation has been made.
Neurobiology of Trauma
Neurobiology of trauma refers to the way traumatic experiences affect the brain, nervous system, and body. Trauma can influence memory, emotions, behaviour, concentration, sleep, and physical health. These responses are normal reactions to overwhelming experiences.
Non-Offending Caregiver
A non-offending caregiver is the parent, guardian, or other adult responsible for protecting and supporting a child who did not participate in or contribute to the abuse.
Offender
An offender is a person who has been found guilty of, or otherwise legally held responsible for, an offence. When guilt has not been established, terms such as “accused,” “alleged offender,” or “person alleged to have caused harm” may be more appropriate.
Peace Bond
A court order intended to help protect someone where there are reasonable grounds to fear future harm. A peace bond can include conditions such as no contact or restrictions on going to particular places. It does not require a criminal conviction.
Police Investigation
A police investigation is the process of gathering information, interviewing witnesses, collecting evidence, and determining whether criminal charges should be laid.
Position of Trust or Authority
A position of trust or authority exists when an adult has responsibility, influence, or power over a child or youth. Examples include teachers, coaches, clergy, babysitters, health-care professionals, employers, and family members. Sexual activity in these situations may be illegal even if the young person appears to agree.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD is a mental health condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. Symptoms may include nightmares, intrusive memories, avoidance, anxiety, emotional changes, and increased alertness. Not everyone who experiences trauma develops PTSD.
Professional Regulatory Body / Regulatory College
An organization responsible for regulating members of a particular profession. Depending on the profession, a regulatory body may investigate complaints and impose consequences such as restrictions, suspension or other disciplinary measures.
Protective Factors
Protective factors are the people, skills, and supports that help children recover from difficult experiences. Examples include supportive caregivers, safe relationships, stable routines, counselling, positive friendships, and involvement in healthy activities.
Reasonable Grounds
Reasonable grounds means there is enough information that an ordinary person would believe a child may need protection. Proof is not required before making a report to Children's Aid Society.
Recantation
Recantation occurs when a child withdraws, changes, or denies an earlier disclosure of abuse. Children may recant because of fear, pressure, loyalty, shame, or concerns about the consequences of telling. Recantation does not necessarily mean the abuse did not occur.
Resilience
Resilience is the ability to adapt, recover, and continue growing after difficult experiences. Resilience does not mean a child is unaffected by trauma; it means healing and growth are possible with appropriate support.
Restorative Justice
An approach to justice that focuses on the harm caused, the needs of those affected and meaningful accountability. Participation should be voluntary and, particularly in cases involving child sexual abuse, carefully assessed and professionally facilitated.
Safety Plan
A safety plan is a practical plan developed to reduce risk and help protect a child. It may include supervision arrangements, safe adults, school supports, emergency contacts, and strategies for responding if concerns arise.
Secondary Trauma (Secondary Traumatic Stress)
Secondary trauma refers to the emotional impact experienced by parents, caregivers, or professionals after learning about another person's traumatic experience. It can include anxiety, guilt, grief, intrusive thoughts, and symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress.
Sextortion
Sextortion is a form of sexual exploitation in which someone threatens to share sexual images or information unless the victim sends more images, money, or complies with other demands.
Sexual Assault
Sexual assault is any sexual touching or activity that occurs without consent. In Canada, sexual assault is a criminal offence and can range from unwanted sexual touching to more invasive sexual acts. When children are involved, their age and the circumstances—including relationships of trust, authority, dependency or exploitation—affect whether they can legally consent to sexual activity.
Survivor-Centred
An approach that places the survivor's safety, wishes, needs, readiness and well-being at the centre of decisions and processes. In restorative justice, this means the process should serve the survivor rather than the needs of parents, institutions or the person who caused harm.
Trauma
Trauma is the emotional, psychological, and physical response to experiences that overwhelm a person's ability to cope. Trauma affects every child differently, and healing is possible with support, safety, and time.
Trauma Bond
A trauma bond is a strong emotional attachment that can develop between a victim and the person causing harm through repeated cycles of affection, manipulation, fear, and abuse. Trauma bonds can make it difficult for a child or survivor to leave an abusive relationship or understand why they still care about the person who harmed them.
Trauma-Informed Care
Trauma-informed care is an approach that recognizes the widespread impact of trauma and seeks to avoid causing additional harm. It emphasizes safety, trust, choice, collaboration, and empowerment.
Trauma Response
A trauma response is the way the brain, body, emotions, and behaviour react to a traumatic experience. Common trauma responses include anxiety, avoidance, nightmares, emotional numbness, irritability, and hypervigilance.
Trigger
A trigger is something that reminds a person of a traumatic experience and causes an emotional or physical reaction. Triggers may include sounds, smells, places, dates, people, or situations.
Vicarious Trauma
Vicarious trauma refers to the lasting emotional impact that can occur when someone is repeatedly exposed to another person's trauma. Parents, caregivers, therapists, police officers, and other helping professionals may experience vicarious trauma while supporting survivors.
Victim Impact Statement
A Victim Impact Statement is a written statement that describes how a crime has affected a victim's life. If there is a criminal conviction, it may be considered by the court during sentencing.
Victim Services
Victim Services provides information, emotional support, referrals, safety planning, and assistance navigating the criminal justice system for people affected by crime.
Victim/Witness Assistance Program (VWAP)
The Victim/Witness Assistance Program helps victims and witnesses understand the court process, prepare for testimony, and access community support throughout a criminal case.