LEARN THE FACTS

By educating ourselves about the warning signs in an adult, adolescent, or child with sexual behavior problems, we can prevent abuse before there is a victim to heal or an offender to punish. Learn about the warning signs or risk factors for perpetration and for victimization (see Prevent Child Sexual Abuse: Facts About Those Who Might Commit It )(pdf) or other Stop It Now! publications).

What adults need to know about child sexual abuse

• It happens more than you think. A lot more - one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before their eighteenth birthday.
• It can happen right under your nose and you may never know - less than one victim in ten will tell.
• The perpetrators aren’t usually “dirty old men hiding in the bushes” - 34% of those who sexually abuse children are family members. A further 59% are friends and acquaintances of the child and his family.
• You probably don’t realize how big the problem is - 67% of the victims of all sexual assaults (including adults) are children.
• And we’re not talking about young teenagers having consensual sex - the median age for sexual abuse is just nine years of age.
• Child sexual abuse is not just a bad experience. Child sexual abuse wrecks young lives - victims of child sexual abuse are at far greater risk for all sorts of psychological disorders including PTSD, depression, substance abuse and relationship problems, often lasting into adulthood.