In literature concerning violence against children, the term “Ritual Sexual Abuse†has, for some decades, become almost always identified in a somewhat approximative way with “Satanic Ritual Abuseâ€. One of the most controversial issues is whether there are criteria that distinguish sexual abuse generally from sexual abuse that is specifically ritualistic. This article aims to propose a definition of ritual child abuse, specifically considering symbolic logic. Since forensic evidence often proves in such cases to be fragmentary or unreliable, it is necessary to identify the presence of certain constants, being extraneous to rational thought yet completely coherent in terms of the occult and from the point of view of the history of magic. Thus, the indicators that will be examined are those that allow us to recognise and identify a ceremonial context (ritual area, images, instruments, characters, times, etc.) and will be examined the particular motives why children are particularly sought-after victims for certain destructive cults.Keywords: ritual child abuse; Satanic ritual abuse; destructive cults; occultism.