• 1 in 4 girls is sexually abused before the age of 14.
Source: Hopper, J.  (1998).  Child Sexual Abuse: Statistics, Research, Resources.  Boston, MA Boston University School of Medicine.

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  • 1 in 6 boys is sexually abused before the age of 16.
Source: Hopper, J.  (1998).  Child Sexual Abuse: Statistics, Research, Resources.  Boston, MA Boston University School of Medicine.

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  • Teens between the ages of 16 and 19 are 3.5 times more likely to be sexually abused than the general population.
Source: US Department of Justice.  (1996).  Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, Washington, D.C.

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  • More than 90% of all sexual abuse victims know their perpetrator.  Almost 50% of the offenders are household members and 38% are already acquaintances of the victims.
Source: (1997) and Finkelhor and Ormond. (2001).

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  • The median age for reporting sexual abuse is 9.9 for boys and 9.6 for girls.
Source: Finkelhor & David, et al.  (1990).  Sexual Abuse in a National Survey of Adult Men and Women: Prevalence, Characteristics and Risk Factors.

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  • For 22% of the boys and 23% of the girls, sexual abuse occurred before the age of 8.
Source: Finkelhor & David, et al.  (1990).  Sexual Abuse in a National Survey of Adult Men and Women: Prevalence, Characteristics and Risk Factors.

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  • Only 1 in 10 children tell of their abuses.
Source: Janssen, M.R.  (1991).   Incest: Exploited Child Abuse.  National Victim Center.

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  • 42% of women and 33% of men never tell of their abuse.
Source: Finkelhor & David, et al.  (1990).  Sexual Abuse in a National Survey of Adult Men and Women: Prevalence, Characteristics and Risk Factors.

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  • 22% of all children who disclose sexual abuse eventually recant even though the abuse occurred.
Source: Sorenson, T. and Snow, B.  (1991).  How Children Tell: The Process of Disclosure in Child Sexual Abuse.  Child Welfare League of America.

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  • Fabricated sexual abuse reports constitute only 1% – 4% of all reported cases.  Of these reports, 75% are falsely accused by adults and 25% are reported by children.  Children fabricate 1-2% of the time.
Source: National Victim Center Handbook (1991).

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  • Twenty-nine percent of all forcible rapes in America occurred when the victim was less than 11 years old.
Source: National Victim Center and Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Rape in America: A Report to the Nation, 1992.