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.

Written by Robin N. Fatovic B.S.

Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. (n.d.). Children and Teens: Statistics. Retrieved October 11, 2020