438 Child Sexual Abuse Statistics

Written by Robin N. Fatovic B.S.

How common is child sexual abuse? According to psychological research, The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network or RAINN, child protective services finds reported claims of child sexual abuse every 9 minutes-10% of all girls and 2% of boys are abused, but 80% of all sexual assault victims under the age of 18 are female. Girls 16 to 19 are 4 times more likely to experience rape or assault, than the general population. Who sexually abuses children? Sadly, 34% of the perpetrators are family members. 93% of children know their perpetrators, and only 7% of perpetrators are strangers. Sexual abuse can have long-term effects on child victims. These children are about 4 times more likely to experience post-traumatic stress disorder in adulthood. Three times more likely to have at least one major depressive episode later in life, and 4 times more likely to abuse substances. Look for any changes in a child’s normal functioning such as depressed mood, distractibility, withdrawing from touch, or even, sexualized acts or talk. Find more warning signs at RAINN.org. Know the signs and act to protect the children! Seek specialized treatment.

References:

Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. (n.d.). Children and Teens: Statistics. Retrieved October 11, 2020,fromhttps://www.rainn.org/statistics/children-and-teens

United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau. Child Maltreatment Survey, 2016 (2018).

Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Sex Offenses and Offenders (1997).

David Finkelhor, Anne Shattuck, Heather A. Turner, & Sherry L. Hamby.(2014).The Lifetime Prevalence of Child Sexual Abuse and Sexual Assault Assessed in Late Adolescence, 55 Journal of Adolescent Health 329, 329-333

Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics.(2000).Sexual Assault of YoungChildren as Reported to Law Enforcement.

H.M Zinzow, H.S. Resnick, J.L. McCauley, A.B. Amstadter, K.J. Ruggiero, & D.G. Kilpatrick. (2012). Prevalence and risk of psychiatric disorders as a function of variant rape histories: results from a national United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau.

Child Maltreatment Survey. (2013).Exhibit 5-2 Selected Maltreatment Types by Perpetrator’s Sex. Page 65