The Epidemic Of Child Sexual Abuse

Child abuse is a huge issue, however, due to children being afraid to come forth, we only get a snap shot of the child abuse occurrences. The subject of child abuse is a difficult and sensitive topic to discuss. Sexual abuse of children has become one of the important topics in the county and has gained the attention of many legislative and professional initiatives. The effect of child abuse has become such an issue that body of literature on sexual abuse is expanding, there are more public declarations by adult survivors and increased media coverage of sexual abuse issues. With this coverage getting to the youth and having them see that it is not their fault and that it doesn’t just happen to them, it is becoming a popular topic to talk about.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Bureau report Child Maltreatment 2010 found that 9.2% of victimized children were sexually assaulted. Studies by David Finkelhor, Director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center, show that: 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 20 boys is a victim of child sexual abuse; Self-report studies show that 20% of adult females and 5-10% of adult males recall a childhood sexual assault or sexual abuse incident; During a one-year period in the U.S., 16% of youth ages 14 to 17 had been sexually victimized; Over the course of their lifetime, 28% of U.S. youth ages 14 to 17 had been sexually victimized; Children are most vulnerable to child sexual abuse between the ages of 7 and 13. A Bureau of Justice Statistics report shows 1.6 % (sixteen out of one thousand) of children between the ages of 12-17 were victims of rape/sexual assault (page 18). A study conducted in 1986 found that 63% of women who had suffered sexual abuse by a family member also reported a rape or attempted rape after the age of 14 (Child Sexual Abuse Statistics,

They suffer from the abuse and are effected for the rest of their life. The effects of sexual abuse extend far beyond childhood. Sexual abuse causes a child to grow up with a loss of trust, feelings of guilt and self-abusive behavior. Growing up with the burden of being a victim can lead to antisocial behavior, depression, identity confusion, loss of self-esteem and other serious emotional problems. It can also result in issues with romantic and intimate relationships. Effects of child sexual abuse can be categorized as psychological, interpersonal, and behavioral, although certain effects can be included in more than one category (Child Sexual Abuse Statistics,