intrafamilial

September 2017

CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE FACTS
Child sexual abuse is a crime that happens across race, religion and class and has lifetime effects. It

includes any interaction between a child and an adult (or another child) in which the child is used for
the sexual stimulation of the perpetrator or an observeri. Child sexual abuse is often predicated on

silencing the victim, and as a result, reporting and disclosure is low. Even without knowing the full

scope of child sexual abuse instances, most experts will agree that 500,000 children will be impacted
by child sexual abuse per yearii.

Annually, YWCA associations provide nearly 980,000 women and children with gender based violence

services. At YWCA, we know that not all violence is acknowledged or responded to equally and that
some victims go unrecognized altogether. Child sexual abuse survivors are often left out of the
mainstream dialogue about gender-based violence altogether despite their heightened risk. YWCA is
the largest network of domestic violence service providers in the country and is also dedicated to

promoting women’s and children’s health and safety through a variety of local programs, legislative

advocacy, and issue education.

FACTS

• A common myth is that child sexual abuse is perpetrated by strangers and pedophiles. But most
people who sexually abuse children are our friends, partners, family members, and community

members. About 93 percent of children who are victims of sexual abuse know their abuseriii. Less
than 10 percent of sexually abused children are abused by a stranger.

• Children are at heightened risk for sexual violence. Nearly 70 percent of all reported sexual assaults
occur to children ages 17 and underiv.

• One in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before they turn 18 years oldv.

• 12.3 percent of women were age 10 or younger at the time of their first rape/victimization, and 30
percent of women were between the ages of 11 and 17vi.

• More than one-third of women who report being raped before age 18 also experience rape as an
adultvii. Survivors of child sexual abuse are also more likely to experience rape and intimate partner

violence in adulthood.viii

• 96 percent of people who sexually abuse children are male, 76 percent are married menix, and 76.8
percent of people who sexually abuse children are adultsx.

• The younger the victim, the more likely it is that the abuser is a family member. Of those molesting
a child under six, 50 percent were family members. Family members also accounted for 23 percent

of those abusing children ages 12 to 17xi.

• Abusers tend to utilize a manipulative process called “grooming” in order to gain the family’s and
victim’s trust, providing them with more access to the child. Grooming behaviors may includexii:

• Special attention, outings, and gifts

• Isolating the child from others

• Filling the child’s unmet needs

• Filling needs and roles within the family

• Treating the child as if he or she is older

September 2017

• Gradually crossing physical boundaries, and becoming increasingly intimate/sexual

• Use of secrecy, blame, and threats to maintain control

• Child sexual abuse can have lifetime impacts on survivors—especially without support. It can
impact educational outcomes, lead to heightened symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder,

higher suicidality, drug abuse, higher likelihood of teen pregnancy and chronic health issues.xiii

• More than 90 percent of girls in juvenile justice systems self-disclose trauma.xiv In fact, justice-

involved girls are victimized by sexual violence at an earlier average age, and for a longer average
duration, than other forms of abusexv.

• In primary care settings, physical or sexual abuse in childhood is reported by approximately 20 to
50 percent of adults; among patients with depression, irritable bowel, chronic pain, or substance

abuse, prevalence of reported childhood physical or sexual abuse runs as high as 70 percent.xvi

HOW ADVOCATES AND NONPROFITS CAN HELP

It is important not focus our attention on prevention efforts that place the expectation of abuse

prevention on children. It is the job of adults to protect children. Talk about child sexual abuse in your
communities to help break the silence and stigma.

• Children who have experienced abuse often keep it a secret. One of the best ways to prevent
child sexual abuse and to act as supportive first responders when a child discloses is by

maintaining healthy, open relationships with children in your life—so they know you are a safe
adult they can tell if something happens.

• Believe them—very few allegations of child sexual abuse are false. If a child discloses abuse,
believe them, support them, and know the mandated reported laws in your community.

• Try to remain calm, so that the child doesn’t blame themselves for the abuse. If you react with

anger, the child may change or recant their story to avoid the feeling that people are “angry at

them” when abuse is still happening.

• Help set boundaries for children, and pay attention when you feel that other adults are

crossing boundaries with children, like demanding physical touch (hugs, kisses), spending

alone time with a child in a school or church setting. Help uphold and model boundaries
and allow children to create boundaries for themselves.

• Advocate for organizational policies (within your organizations and in other community
organizations) that reduce one adult/one child interactions—group settings are safest.

September 2017

• Let children know that they have the right to make decisions about their bodies. Empower
them to say no when they do not want to be touched, even in non-sexual ways (e.g.,

refusing hugs) and to say no to touching others.

• Teach children accurate names of private body parts so that they know what to call them
if they ever experience inappropriate sexual touch.

• Avoid focusing exclusively on “stranger danger.” Keep in mind that most children are

abused by someone they know and trust, including family members.xvii

i Child Sexual Abuse Fact Sheet. (April 2009). Child Sexual Abuse Committee of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network.
ii The Children’s Assessment Center, Houston, Texas.
iii Child Sexual Abuse Statistics. (2015). Rape Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN),
iv National Crime Victimization Survey, Statistic calculated by staff at Crimes against Children Research Center. 2002.
v Townsend, C., & Rheingold, A.A., (2013). Estimating a child sexual abuse prevalence rate for practitioners: studies. Charleston, S.C.,

Darkness to Light. Retrieved from www.D2L.org.
vi Statistics About Sexual Violence. (2015). National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
vii Statistics About Sexual Violence. (2015). National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
viii Ibid.
ix The Abel and Harlow Child Molestation Prevention Study and the 1999 U.S. Census Statistical Abstract
x Statistics About Sexual Violence. (2015). National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
xi Child Sexual Abuse Statistics (2014). Darkness to Light.
xii Child Sexual Abuse Statistics (2014). Darkness to Light.
xiii Child Sexual Abuse Fact Sheet. (April 2009). Child Sexual Abuse Committee of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network.
xiv Julian D. Ford, et al. (2007). Trauma Among Youth in the Juvenile Justice System: Cricial Issues and New Direction. Retrieved 15 January

2017 from
xv Malika Saada Saar, Rebecca Epstein, Lindsay Rosenthal, Yasmin Vafa, Center for Poverty and Inequality | Georgetown University Law
Center, The Sexual Abuse to Prison Pipeline: the Girls’ Story

abuse_layout_web-1.pdf
xvi Springer, K. W., Sheridan, J., Kuo, D., & Carnes, M. (2003). The Long-term Health Outcomes of Childhood Abuse: An Overview and a Call to

Action. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 18(10), 864–870.
xvii Adapted from 7 Steps to Protecting our Children: A guide for Responsible Adults. Darkness to Light, 2015. For more tips on Protecting
children percent7B64AF78C4-5EB8-45AA-BC28-F7EE2B581919 percent7D/7 percent20Steps percent20to

percent20Protecting percent20Our percent20Children.pdf