Facts about Child Sexual Abuse and Prevention
The American Medical Association calls child sexual abuse a "silent, violent epidemic." Statistics, particularly about a topic as shrouded in secrecy as child sexual abuse, are hard to accurately compile.
The statistics provided below offer the best information we can find to answer some of the common questions we receive.
Who is most likely to sexually abuse a child?
85% of the time children are abused by someone they know.
—Oesterreich, L. & Shirer, K. (2001) Sexual Abuse of Children.
83% of child sexual abuse cases in the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area involved family and extended family members.
—2001 Minnesota Child Welfare Report, Department of Human Services.
Of people known to sexually abuse children, men outnumber women 8:1. Most often the person who sexually abuses children is a heterosexual male ranging in age from adolescence to middle age.
—Hanson, R.K., Steffy, R.A., Gauthier, R. (1993) Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Vol. 61, pp. 646-652.
Up to 50% of those who sexually abuse children are under the age of 18.
—Hunter, J.A., Figueredo, A.J., Malamuth, N.M., & Becker, J.V. Juvenile Sex Offenders: Toward the Development of a Typology. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, (2003), Volume 15, No. 1.
Are most cases of child sexual abuse reported to authorities?
Most sexual abuse, nearly 88%, is never reported.
—Hanson, R.F., Resnick, H.S., Saunders, B.E., Kilpatrick, D.G., and Best, C. (1999) Child Abuse and Neglect
Only three in 10 residents who experienced sexually abusive behaviors as children told an adult about the incident while still a child. Of residents who did tell an adult, only three in 10 recalled that the incident was reported to authorities.
—Attitudes, Beliefs, and Actions Taken Relating to Child Sexual Abuse in the Seven-County Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Area of Minnesota, Stop It Now! Minnesota/Market Street Research Report (2003)
Can adults who sexually abuse children be treated?
Sex offender treatment reduces the likelihood of sexual recidivism. Those who were treated show a recidivism rate of only 10%, while those who do not go through treatment have a recidivism rate of 17%.
—Hanson, R.K., Gordon, A., Harris, A.J.R., Marques, J.K., Murphy, W., Quinsey, V.L., & Seto, M.C. (2002). First report of the Collaborative Outcome Data project on the Effectiveness of Psychological Treatment for Sexual Offenders. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 14 (2), 169-194.
How many children are sexually abused?
Estimated prevalence rates of child sexual abuse in the United States range from 8-14% for males and 7-32% for females.
—Briere, J., Elliot, D.M., 2003. Prevalence and Psychological Sequence of Self-Reported Childhood Physical and Sexual Abuse in a General Population Sample of Men and Women. In Child Abuse and Neglect, 2003, 27, 10. Putnam, F., 2003. Child Sexual Abuse. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 42, 269-278.
It is estimated that there are 60 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse in America today.
—U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000.
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