Contrary to what we would like to believe, sexual abuse isn’t limited to the poverty-stricken, drug infested neighborhoods. It happens everywhere. It crosses all socioeconomic, religious, and ethnic boundaries. It strikes all children. Teaching children to stay away from strangers is a great way to protect them.  But when it comes to sexual abuse, 80-90% of the time children are victimized by someone they know and trust, often someone who is charge of them. Statistics indicate that, although 50% of all cases go unreported, a child is sexually abused every 2 minutes.

Statistics

• Every two minutes a child is sexually assaulted.
• 50-90% of child sexual assaults are never reported.
• Often there are NO physical signs.
• One in four girls and one in six boys are victimized by age 18.
• In 1998, HHS reported 315,400 substantiated sexual abuse cases.
• 61% of reported rapes were committed against victims under age 17.
• 85% of the time, the child knows and trusts the abuser.
• Sexual abuse crosses all socio-economic and religious boundaries.
• Silence protects the abuser.
• Silence allows the victimization to continue.

Information sources