FACT SHEET CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE IN CUSTODY （简报儿童性虐待被拘留）.pdf

FACT SHEET CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE IN CUSTODY DISPUTES The following data will assist the court in making safe custody and visitation decisions: 1. Is child sexual abuse rare? Fact: No. Child sexual abuse is remarkably common.1 • A meta-analysis of 22 American studies found that 30-40% of females and 13% of males experienced sexual abuse as children.2 • In a Gallup survey of 1,000 families, 30% of women and 9% of men reported that they had experienced forcible sexual abuse as children.3 2. Are child sexual abuse crimes underreported? Fact: Yes. These crimes are significantly underreported.4 The prevalence rates cited above do not account for the fact that many people who were sexually abused as children never told anyone. • In an adult retrospective study, 42% of women and 33% of men sexually abused as children reported never having disclosed the sexual abuse until being asked during the study.5 • Delays in reporting child sexual abuse are common.6 • The average time between cessation of child sexual abuse and its disclosure is 12 years.7 • Children are most likely to disclose recent or on-going abuse to their non-abusive parents.8 3. Is child sexual abuse usually perpetrated by strangers? Fact: No. On average, studies using victim samples find that only 3% to 14.7% of sex crimes against children are perpetrated by strangers to the child. The other 85.3% to 97% of child sex crimes are perpetrated by adults whom the child knows.9 4. Do parents sexually abuse their own children? Fact: Yes. Biological parents and parental figures perpetrate 32% to 39.7% of all sexual assaults against child victims.10 5. Are other family members responsible for a large portion