For when a child can't find the words…

According to a study by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2016, the age at which abuse began varied depending on the type of abuse suffered. The study reported that the average age was 8.8 years for children who experienced sexual abuse alone, 8.1 years for those who experienced physical abuse only, and 6.8 years for those who experienced both physical and sexual abuse.

It has been reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) that one out of every five women and one out of every thirteen men have experienced sexual abuse during their childhood from the ages of 0-17. Furthermore, about 120 million girls and young women under the age of 20 have been subjected to forced sexual contact in some form.

Based on a systematic review of studies carried out in 2012, it was found that the prevalence of the crime varied from 8 to 31% among girls and from 3 to 17% among boys2.

70% of all reported sexual assaults are on children under the age of 17 Children.

Compared to adults, children have higher rates of victimization from sexual assault. In 2000, the rate of sexual assault victimization for individuals aged 12 to 17 was 2.3 times greater than that of adults.

44% of rapes involving penetration were on children under the age of 18.

Evidence-based research indicates that 91% of child sexual abuse was perpetrated on the child by someone known to and trusted by the child or the child’s family members.

In cases of childhood sexual abuse, it has been found that most of the perpetrators are non-familial known individuals. Approximately 51% (equivalent to 467,500 individuals) of those who have experienced childhood sexual abuse were first victimized by someone they knew outside of their family. That leaves 49% of CSA cases perpetrated by someone in the child’s family.

It is estimated that an overwhelming 90% of perpetrators of child sexual abuse are male. However, women are the abusers in around 3.9% of cases and 6% unknown.

According to research, the most common types of perpetrators include:

• Parents including stepparents
• Other relatives, cousins, uncles, grandfathers
• Siblings
• Friends of family
• Or others who are known to the child (e.g., neighbours, sports coaches, teachers, priests)