This thesis is intended to investigate, analyse and problematise the complex roles of legal discourse and media representations of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) in constructing public perceptions and fragmented understandings of CSA in the UK. By employing Fairclough's model of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and drawing upon Michel Foucault's four sources of knowledge and power alongside Chris Jenks conceptualisations of the Apollonian and Dionysian concepts, this research examines the role of language and social understandings in constructing and influencing public perceptions of CSA. The findings suggest a discursive construction of CSA and CSA victims as inhabiting modern societal ideologies of childhood perpetuated with underlining power dynamics resulting from discourse. The concluding remark is that there is an imperative for better media representations of victims as well as enhanced victim-centred approaches.