Child Sexual Abuse: A Public Health Epidemic

Is This Really An Epidemic?
Yes! Surveys of adults reveal that as many as one in three girls and one in seven boys have been sexually abused before the age of eighteen. And the trauma of sexual abuse can affect the emotional and physical health of those children for the rest of their lives. Imagine the public outcry to prevent a disease with consequences as widespread and devastating to our children as those resulting from sexual abuse.

Who Sexually Abuses Children?
Not who we might imagine! Nine out of ten children who are sexually abused already know the person who abuses them. And we adults most likely know them too! So we can’t let a sense of helplessness, fanned by images of horrible abuse committed by strangers, distract us from the many ways we actually can protect our children from more likely risks, closer to home.

Fortunately, sexual assaults by strangers, although real, are relatively rare. Most often, the people who sexually abuse children are close relatives, friends and other trusted caretakers of our children – people we care about who have horribly lost control. Surprisingly, as much as half of all sexual abuse is committed by adolescents and older children against other children. If we have the courage to face the facts, this knowledge gives us an incredible opportunity to identify risks and to act before a child is harmed.

Can people who sexually abuse children ever stop?
Experts say Yes! Most can. Many are actually desperate to stop. Research shows that of those held criminally accountable for past sexual abuse, fewer than one in five will re-offend sexually. Specialized treatment can lower that rate even further, especially for juveniles. But if as a community, our only strategy is harsher punishment for crimes already committed, we’re not doing enough to protect our children. Like efforts to stop any disease outbreak, we need an array of tools to address the varied realities that lead to child sexual abuse. We have to:

honestly identify risks – what causes a once-innocent child to become a person who sexually offends? How can we eliminate those risks?
teach adults to recognize behaviors that make children vulnerable and strategies to intervene.
give those struggling with sexual thoughts toward children incentives and options to seek help before they have hurt a child.
develop thoughtful sentencing guidelines, treatment options and effective risk assessment for the diverse assortment of people who have already sexually offended.
Provide positive motivation and support for those convicted of sexual abuse to become productive contributors to their communities once they are released.