How prevalent is child sexual abuse?
There are more than sixty million survivors of child sexual abuse in the United States alone. Depending on which statistic is used, anywhere between twenty to forty percent of girls, and five to sixteen percent of boys have experienced molestation or rape. 1 The United States Dept of Justice says that one in twenty men has molested a child. 2 Forty to sixty percent of men who abuse women, also abuse their children. 3 About 5.5 children per 10,000 children enrolled in day care are sexually abused. 4 Many alcoholics, drug users, and women in prison were sexually abused as children. Ninety five percent of prostitutes have a history of child sexual abuse. 5 People who perform in pornographic films are also frequently child sexual abuse survivors. Only about five percent of children tell someone that an adult is sexually assaulting them.
