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CHILD SEXUAL ASSAULT
FACT
SHEET
Understanding the Issue
Child sexual assault is sexual contact
between a child and an adult or another child. Both victims and
offenders come from all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. It occurs
in both rural and urban areas.
Generally, children are sexually abused
by adults who are related to them or known to them or their families.
Since most children seek approval from adults, they are very vulnerable
to abuse. They will do what is asked without questioning. Children keep
silent about the abuse because of threats or bribes. Often they believe
they are responsible for their abuse.
Pennsylvania Statistics
- In 1995, 44.9 percent of all
substantiated reports of child abuse involved sexual abuse
(Department of Public Welfare).
- The percentage of children who
reported their abuse in 1995 was 40.4. (Child Abuse Report, DPW).
- While mothers were responsible for the
abuse and neglect in approximately 500 more cases than fathers,
fathers and babysitters were twice as likely to be perpetrators of
sexual abuse (Child Abuse Report, PA DPW).
- Sixty-one children died as a result of
child abuse in 1995 (Child Abuse Report, DPW).
Facts & Figures
- In a 1994 national Gallup poll, 55% of
people surveyed rated their state governments "poor" or
"not good" when it comes to dealing with the problem of child
sexual assault. Approximately 36% of respondents rated their governments
"good" while only one percent rated their state governments
"excellent" in dealing with child sexual assault (1994 Bureau
of Justice Statistics Sourcebook from a May 1994 Gallup poll).
- It is reported that next to family
members, babysitters are the second largest group to sexually abuse
children (PA Child Abuse Report, 1995). Also, children cared for in
family day-care homes are more likely to be abused than those cared for
in a day-care center. The child may be abused by the child care provider
or another member of the family who is at home during the day-care
hours. Sexual abuse offenders in a child care setting are more likely to
be females (In Their Parents' Absence).
- Sexual abuse is not exclusively
perpetrated by adults; in some cases it is a sibling who abuses a child.
Children who are victimized by siblings experience symptoms similar to
those abused by a parent. Three-fourths of victims are under the age of
9. Sibling incest offenders are more likely to have been sexually abused
than other adolescent offenders. They are also more likely to have
intercourse with their victim(s). These offenders also will have more
victims than adolescents who sexually abuse unrelated individuals
(Family Sexual Abuse).
- Child sexual assault will affect a
child in many ways. Within two years of the assault a child may
experience fear, hostility, guilt, shame, depression, low self-esteem,
poor self-image, physical and sleep complaints, sexual behavior
disturbances, and poor social functioning. Long-term effects may include
depression, prostitution, alcoholism, substance abuse, emotional
disorders, suicide, sleep disorders, low self-esteem, problems with
interpersonal relationships, sexual disturbances, and revictimization.
The severity of these effects varies, but it is influenced by such
factors as the number of abusers, frequency of abuse, relationship with
abuser, the amount of force used, the developmental level of child at
time of the abuse, how family/society reacts to disclosure and other
types of maltreatment and family conditions such as alcoholism
(Developmental Considerations for the Effects of Childhood Sexual
Abuse).
- Three out of every four children
accidentally disclose sexual abuse. Younger children are more likely to
disclose accidentally than elementary school children or adolescents.
Educational programs provided the impetus for nearly one-quarter of the
purposefully disclosed. A child's disclosure of sexual assault rarely
occurs in the initial interview. Even after a child has confirmed sexual
abuse, approximately one-fifth will recant their allegations. However,
92% of those who recant will reaffirm their abuse at a later date (How
Children Tell).
- In a study conducted at Tufts
University New England Medical Center, in 68% of the cases, the offender
coerced the child to comply either through threats or actual physical
aggression. Parents were as likely as any other group of offenders to
use violence (Child Sexual Abuse: The Initial Effects).
- Children are more likely to report
sexual abuse when they feel less loyalty toward the offender. When a
child was abused by a natural parent, more than 55% did not tell of the
abuse (Child Sexual Abuse: The Initial Effects).
- Children are often groomed for sexual
assault. The grooming process includes building trust, bestowing favors,
alienating others, demanding secrecy and violating boundaries (The
Incest Perpetrators).
- Girls who have been sexually abused
become pregnant at a significantly higher rate than those who have not.
More than one-tenth report their pregnancy is the result of sexual abuse
(Child Sexual Abuse as Factor in Adolescents).
- More than one-third of all female
students report harassment on a daily basis (Secrets in Public). Nearly
one-third of those who reported sexual harassment reported that it began
in sixth grade or earlier. Nearly one-fifth reported being sexually
harassed by adults. Ten percent of school boys reported being sexually
harassed by school employees (Hostile Hallways).
- More than a third of stepfathers who
abuse are younger, some significantly younger than the natural mother
(The Incest Perpetrator).
- More than two-thirds of boys are
abused by men. Eighty-three percent of victims are under the age of 12.
More than one-quarter are under the age of 6. Eight percent are abused
by fathers or stepfathers (The Sexually Abused Male). Noncustodial
fathers are more likely to abuse boys than fathers or intact families or
stepfathers (The Incest Perpetrator).
- Sexually abused children may be at
greater risk for sexual abuse in foster care than children who were
mistreated in other ways. They may behave in ways that members of the
foster family interpret as an invitation to sexual activity, expect to
be sexually abused or become sexually involved with other foster
children staying in the same home. Fathers may sexually abuse foster
children even though they do not abuse their own (Understanding Child
Sexual Maltreatment).
Resources
American Assn. of University Women,
Hostile Hallways, AAUW, 1993.
Bureau of Justice Statistics, Sourcebook,
from a May 1994 Gallup poll.
Downs, William R, Developmental
Considerations for the Effects of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Journal of
Interpersonal Violence, September, 1993.
Faller, Kathleen Colborn, Understanding
Child Sexual Maltreatment, Sage Publications, Inc., 1990.
Gomes-Swartz, Beverly; Horowitz, Jonathan
M. and Cardarelli, Albert P. Child Sexual Abuse: The Effects. Sage
Publications, Inc., 1990.
Horton, Anne L. Johnson; Barry L. Roundy,
Lynn M, and Williams. Doran. The Incest Perpetrator, Sage Publications,
Inc., 1990.
Hunter, Mic, ed., The Sexually Abused
Male, Lexington Books, 1990.
Margolin, Leslie, In Their
Parents'Absence, Violence Update, May 1993.
Ounce of Prevention Fund, Child Sexual
Abuse: A Hidden Factor in Adolescent Sexual Behavior Springfield, IL,
1987.
Patton, Michael Quinn, Family Sexual
Abuse, Sage Publications, Inc., 1991.
PA Dept. of Public Welfare, Child Abuse
Report, Harrisburg, Pa., 1995.
Sorensen, Teena and Snow, Barbara, How
Children Tell: The Process of Disclosure in Child Sexual Abuse, Child
Welfare, January-February 1991.
Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (PCAR)
125 N. Enola Dr. Enola, PA 17025
717-728-9740 or 800-692-7445 (in PA)
e-mail: stop@pcar.org
URL: http://www.pcar.org
PA Relay Service: 800-654-5984
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