Child Sexual Abuse

Prevalence of the Problem: Any analysis of national and state-wide statistical information regarding the number of children who have been victims of sexual abuse must begin with an acknowledgement that the numbers available are inaccurate. The reasons for this discrepancy can mostly be attributed to failures in data collection methodology:

1. The nation’s most widely used crime statistics are compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The F.B.I. does not differentiate between cases of sexual assault against children and adults.



2. Another reporting source, the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) reports upon data collected from child protective services in participating states. These records are based primarily upon caretaker offenses and do not generally consider sex offenses committed by nonfamily members.



3. The National Crime Victimization Survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2002, did not collect reports on crimes against children younger than 12 years of age.



4. All sources have been found to under represent the incidence of child sexual assault precisely because victims underreport the incidence of sexual assault to law enforcement.

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