Incest and prostitution fall under which category of abuse?

Incest and prostitution are categorized as sexual abuse or exploitation due to the nature of the acts involved, which violate an individual's sexual autonomy and can lead to significant psychological harm. Sexual abuse encompasses a range of inappropriate and unlawful behaviors that exploit an individual's vulnerability and violate personal boundaries.

In the context of incest, which involves sexual relations between closely related individuals, there is a fundamental breach of trust and societal taboos that can result in long-term emotional and psychological damage. Prostitution, particularly when it involves minors or is coerced, also reflects a severe exploitation of individuals, wherein their bodies are commodified for sexual purposes, often leading to both physical and emotional trauma.

The other categories—physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect—address different aspects of maltreatment. Physical abuse typically pertains to the infliction of bodily harm, emotional abuse involves damaging a person's emotional well-being through manipulation or verbal harm, and neglect refers to the failure to provide basic needs or care. While these forms of abuse are serious and can coexist with sexual abuse, they do not specifically encompass the acts of incest or prostitution, which distinctly fall under sexual abuse or exploitation.