Sexual Abuse in Childhood
International Prevalence of Childhood Sexual Abuse
The sexual abuse of children is a widespread problem in virtually all societies. Sexual abuse in childhood refers to sexual relations that occur between a child and an immediate family member, any other adult, or a peer. These interactions can range from touching to other forced sexual behaviors, such as vaginal or anal penetration. While only a few studies have been successfully conducted (due to the hesitancy of children to discuss this taboo subject), statistics indicate that surprisingly large percentages of children all over the world have been subjected to sexual abuse.
In a study conducted of Costa Rican college students in 1992, thirty-two percent of women and thirteen percent of men reported unwanted sexual activity while growing up. In 1993, thirty percent of sampled women in Barbados reported undesired sexual contact with a relative or someone more than five years older than them before age sixteen. Yet the prevalence of unwanted sexual contact is not limited to foreign countries. In a 1997 study conducted in the United States, a startling twenty-three percent of girls surveyed in eighth, tenth, and twelfth grades reported having experienced uninvited and unwanted touching in sexual ways.1
Sexual assaults on children can result in many mental and physical side effects that have the potential to place the victim in a life-threatening situation. Both women and men can be affected by sexual abuse that they experienced during childhood, but women tend to report more profound trauma than men. Regardless of the sex of the victim, researchers have found one of the most traumatic experiences is the act of being penetrated. Studies also show that the majority of sexual abuse crimes are committed by men that the victim knows. Some evidence indicates a connection between abusers and a history of having been sexually abused in childhood themselves.2
The aftermath of sexual abuse is not limited to psychological healing, however. As with any instance of unwanted sexual contact, physical concerns about pregnancy and disease arise, and children are especially ill equipped to deal with these issues. If a child has been sexually molested, he or she will often not feel comfortable turning to relatives, since the perpetrator is often a family member or family friend. In some countries, there are few institutional places for a child to turn, leaving him or her without adequate emotional and physical assistance.
Sexual abuse of both male and female children poses a serious risk for the spread of disease, especially in developing nations, countries with high rates of HIV infection, and areas with inadequate access to protection (such as condoms). Often times, sexual perpetrators victimize children while engaging in other risky sexual behaviors and not using condoms, thereby increasing the risk of the spread of disease. Non-monogamous sexual contact without protection is risky regardless of the context, but when large numbers of the population have sexually transmitted diseases, spreading them to children only exacerbates burgeoning epidemic situations.
For girls who have been sexually assaulted, pregnancy is also a major physical concern. Since many girls who are raped were not previously engaging in sexual relations, they often are not already on birth control. This places them, if they have had their first period, at risk for pregnancy. Statistics indicate a substantial number of sexual violations occur when girls are in their teens and have probably already gotten their period.1 Similar to the situation with sexually transmitted diseases, many girls do not have anyone to turn to, since their relatives or family friends may have been involved.
References:
1. Table 6 from "Tables and Population Reports, Series L, Number 11," from Chapter 3.3: Sexual Abuse in Childhood on the Johns Hopkins University Website http://www.jhuccp.org/pr/l11/l11tables.stm#table_6
2. "Sexual Abuse in Childhood" from Chapter 3.3: Sexual Abuse in Childhood on the Johns Hopkins University Website, December 1999. http://www.jhuccp.org/pr/l11/l11chap3_3.stm