The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention categorize child sexual abuse as a public health problem and refers to the phenomenon as sexual activity that involves a child (a person less than 18 years of age) that violates the laws or social taboos of society. The CDC further includes that the child does not fully comprehend, does not consent or is unable to give informed consent, or the child is not developmentally prepared and cannot consent to the sexual activity. Child sex abuse statistics such as gender, age, demographics and geographic location can impact the likelihood of abuse.
Child Sex Abuse Statistics by Gender and Age
Since many children either wait years after the abuse to report the abuse or never report the sex abuse, the numbers are often extremely underestimated. However, the CDC further reports that around 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys are victims of child sex abuse at some point in childhood. Of those abused, 91% report that the child knew the abuser or the abuser was someone that the child’s family knew. In the United States alone, the total lifetime economic burden equals $9.3 billion, though, again, this number is likely underestimated due to the number of instances of child sex abuse that go unreported.
The Crimes Against Children Research Center reported that 20% of adult females and 5-10% of adult males who completed self-reports recall being sexually assaulted as children or experienced a sex abuse incident as a child. The Center further reported that during a study that researchers conducted over one year in the United States, 16% of children aged 14 to 17 were sexually victimized.
The National Sexual Assault Hotline reports that every nine minutes, child protective services finds evidence that a claim of child sex abuse exists.
What are the long-term effects on children that are sexually abused?
Children who are sexually abused experience mental, physical, and emotional trauma that likely affects them throughout their entire lives. Children who are sexually abused are around four times more likely to abuse drugs as adults and four times more likely to experience PTSD as adults. These children are also nearly three times more likely to be depressed, anxious, and have mental issues as adults.
Females, in particular, are also two to thirteen times more likely to be sexually victimized as an adult after being sexually abused as a child. Any child victim of sexual abuse is two times more likely to experience non-sexual intimate partner violence. Men are also six times more likely, and women are nine times more likely, to attempt suicide when they have experienced child sex abuse.
Sex Abuse Predator Facts
Darkness to Light, a nonprofit organization that has spent over two decades attempting to prevent child sex abuse, reports that abusers are all around us. They are neighbors, coaches, teachers, friends, family members, and church members at youth recreation centers, youth sports leagues, and around all places where children gather. The nonprofit reports that 70% of child sex offenders sexually abuse between one and nine victims, while 20% abuse between ten and forty victims.
Anyone can be a child molester or a child sex abuser. Both males and females of all ages, including other children, teenagers and seniors can be an abuser. Further, the socioeconomic group, including the wealthy, middle class, and impoverished, in addition to the race or occupation of an individual, does not exclude the possibility of child sex abusers existing within that demographic.
Sex Abuse Demographics
Some characteristics significantly increase or decrease the risk of child sexual abuse. Children are at a lower risk of child sexual abuse when they live with two married biological parents and are at a higher risk of child sexual abuse if they live with step-parents or a single parent. Specifically, children whose parent has a live-in partner are twenty times more likely to experience child sexual abuse than children who live with both biological parents. Children who live without either parent or live in a foster home are ten times more likely to be a child sex abuse victim than children who live with both biological parents.
Age is also a significant factor. Children are most vulnerable between the ages of seven and thirteen, with the median age for reported sexual abuse at nine years of age. More than 20% of children that were abused reported that they were abused before the age of eight years old.
Race and ethnicity also place a role. African American children are nearly twice as likely as white people to be sexually abused as a child. Hispanic children are at a slightly higher risk than non-Hispanic white children.
Other factors include whether or not a parent is in the labor force – reporting that the chances of being sexually abused triple when children’s parent(s) are not in the labor force. The risk for those in low socioeconomic households is tripled as well. Those who live in rural areas are almost two times more likely to experience child sexual abuse.
Perpetrators have reported that they search for victims who seem quiet, troubled, or lonely and are from broken homes.
Child Sex Abuse Statistics By State
The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) collects data from all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico on child abuse and neglect. While each state defines child abuse and neglect differently, they each base their definition on federal law, which defines child abuse and neglect as, “Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation”; or An act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.”
Below is a chart of the unique victims of child abuse reported by each state in the US to NCANDS in 2018 compiled by Statista:
- New York: 68,785
- California: 63,795
- Texas: 63,271
- Michigan: 37.703
- Florida: 36, 795
- Illinois: 31, 515
- Massachusetts: 25,812
- Indiana: 25,731
- Ohio: 25,158
- Kentucky: 23,752
- South Carolina: 19.130
- Arizona: 15,504
- Oklahoma: 15,355
- Oregon: 12,581
- Alabama: 12,158
- Colorado: 11,879
- Iowa: 11,764
- Georgia: 11,090
- Utah: 10,122
- Mississippi: 10,002
- Louisiana: 9,380
- Tennessee: 9.186
- Arkansas: 8,538
- New Mexico: 8,024
- Minnesota: 7.785
- Maryland: 7.743
- Connecticut: 7.652
- West Virginia: 6,946
- North Carolina: 6,502
- Virginia: 6,132
- New Jersey: 6,008
- Missouri: 5,662
- Nevada: 5,162
- Wisconsin: 5,017
- Pennsylvania: 4,695
- Washington: 4,498
- Puerto Rico: 4,381
- Montana: 3,763
- Rhode Island: 3,644
- Maine: 3,481
- Kansas: 3,188
- Nebraska: 2,635
- Alaska: 2,615
- North Dakota: 2,097
- Idaho: 1,919
- District of Columbia: 1,699
- South Dakota: 1,426
- New Hampshire: 1,331
- Hawaii: 1,265
- Delaware: 1,251
- Wyoming: 1,044
- Vermont: 958
Note, though, that these numbers only represent the cases that were reported. The number of abuse cases is widely believed to be vastly underreported.
What to do if you were a victim of child sex abuse?
If you were a victim of child sex abuse, contact an experienced law firm or attorney now to learn what your legal rights are. Whether it was at the hands of an individual you knew, while you were a part of a youth organization, church, summer camp, school, or other institution, you may be entitled to compensation for the pain and suffering the abuser who sexually abused you caused you as a child.