What is Child Sexual Abuse & Assault

Child sexual abuse and assault as defined by Darkness to Light is an act involving a person under 18 years old or lacking developmental capacity to give true consent, which requires full, free, voluntary, and un-coerced participation. This encompasses contact or non-contact acts for immediate or deferred sexual gratification. It involves a power differential where the victim's vulnerability is exploited. The word 'Assault' is used to account for offenses by juvenile/peer offenders.

Prevalence

1 of 10 people will be sexually abused before the age of 18. [1]

• It is estimated that 7-12% of children are sexually abused. [1] This is widely considered to be a significant underestimation due to victims never disclosing/reporting abuse.[2]
• Girls are five times as likely to experience child sexual abuse with 1 in 4 girls having experienced child sexual abuse compared to 1 in 20 boys. [3]
• 67% of those who experienced childhood sexual abuse reported it happening multiple times. [4]
• Children with intellectual and/or developmental disability are 3 to 8 times more likely to be abused than their non-disabled peers.[2]
• Lesbian, gay and bisexual youth are almost 4 times as likely to report child sexual abuse. [2]
• 1 in 4 transgender youth are abused before the age of 18. [2]

Perpetrators

Adult Perpetrator Relationship to Child Sexual Abuse Victims

• 93% of adult perpetrators are known to the child. 59% are acquaintances (teacher, neighbor etc.), 34% are immediate or extended family and 7% are strangers.[5]

Peer-to-Peer Relationship to Child Sexual Assault Victims [2]

• More than 70% of all child sexual abuse and assault is committed by other juveniles.[2]
• 45.8% of incidents of peer-to-peer child sexual assault is committed by a friend, 18.5% were by someone the victim knew but not well, 15.4% by a romantic partner, 8.2% by someone the victim just met and 2.5% by a casual romantic partner.[2]

Trends

• Child sexual abuse by adults has declined. [6] This is likely the result of increased awareness and parental supervision, school-based prevention programs, and laws and policies regulating institutions. [8]
• The rates of peer-to-peer sexual abuse has increased over the past decade.[7]

Insights

• Much child sexual abuse by teens is influenced by lack of empathy, a desire for immediate sexual gratification, and male sexual entitlement. It is important to recognise that the data indicates most adolescent males do not inflict sexual violence.[8] The rate of the juvenile reoffending is very low, between 5% and 14%, and most do not become adults who abuse.[9]
• Parents are integral in reducing child sexual abuse. Educating children about their bodies, healthy relationships, consent, sex, empathy and gender equality instils key prosocial attributes required to reduce sexual violence.[8]
• Emerging scientific consensus indicates age-appropriate sexuality education from early childhood through secondary school builds social and emotional skills that minimise the likelihood of perpetration.[8]

References

1. www.d2l.org/child-sexual-abuse/prevalence
2. www.d2l.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Child-Sexual-Abuse-Updates.pdf
3. www.cdc.gov/child-abuse-neglect/about/about-child-sexual-abuse.html
4. www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/PCA_Child-Sexual-Abuse-Recurrence-Brief.pdf
5. www.rainn.org/statistics/perpetrators-sexual-violence
6. www.unh.edu/ccrc/trends-child-victimization
7. www.d2l.org/navigating-peer-on-peer-abuse-creating-safe-environments-this-school-year
8. https://www.acms.au/
9. www.ncsby.org