A descriptive study to assess the knowledge regarding sexual abuse among adolescent girls at selected villages of District Mohali, Punjab

Background: Sexual abuse is botheration or forced uninvited sexual behaviour by one person upon another. Sexual abuse among adolescent girls includes any situation in which adolescent girls are used for the sexual pleasure of an adult or aged adolescent which ranges from petting, stroking of genitalia, guts or anus, sexual exploitation, voyeurism, pornography, exhibitionism, obliging a child to engage in sexual conditioning etc. with the intention to gratify their own sexual desires Adolescence is the period from the onset of puberty in preteen times until majority. Adolescents are less suitable than grown-ups to manage their feelings, use good judgment, and engage in thoughtful decision- timber. Sexual abuse also appertained to as botheration, is the forcing of uninvited sexual behaviour by one person upon another. The stylish way to cover adolescent girls from being victims of sexual abuse is to help them understand and be apprehensive of the issues of sexual abuse; Sexual abuse among adolescent girls is a pervasive issue with significant and continuing impacts on victims' internal, physical, and social well- being. This review provides a terse overview of the prevalence, threat factors, consequences, reporting behaviours, and interventions. Aims: To assess the knowledge regarding sexual abuse among adolescent girls at selected villages of District Mohali. Design and Method: Quantitative research approach and descriptive research design were used to carry out this study. The area selected for the study was villages DaunMajra and Sahauran, Mohali. Purposive sampling technique was used to select a sample of 120 adolescent girls through socio demographic profile and self-structured questionnaire. The data was analysed by using descriptive and inferential statistics. Result: The majority of participants 63% had moderate knowledge about the subject, while 27.8%had inadequate knowledge, indicating a significant gap in knowledge. Only 9.3% demonstrated adequate knowledge, showing that very few had a strong understanding of the topic. This highlights the need for better educational interventions or awareness programs.