Knowing the facts about child sexual abuse can help you protect the children in your life.
The first is that it’s highly likely that you know a child or adult who has been or is being abused.
The facts
- 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 7 boys will be sexually abused by the time they are 18.
- Most children who are sexually abused are abused by someone they know.
- Children do not lie about sexual abuse.
- Disclosure of sexual abuse is a process.
Children wait weeks — sometimes years — to tell. Some never tell.
- Talking to your child regularly about their body will make the child more likely to tell if someone touches their body, but it is not a guarantee.
- The majority of adults — 95% — who sexually abuse children are men, but some women also sexually abuse children.
- There are often no outward signs of sexual abuse.
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