prevalence of child sexual abuse is difficult to determine because it is often not reported;

experts agree that the incidence is far greater than what is reported to authorities. CSA is also
not uniformly defined, so statistics may vary. Statistics below represent some of the research
done on child sexual abuse.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Bureau report Child
Maltreatment 2010 found that 9.2% of victimized children were sexually assaulted (page 24).

Studies by David Finkelhor, Director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center, show
that:

1 in 5 girls and 1 in 20 boys is a victim of child sexual abuse;

Self-report studies show that 20% of adult females and 5-10% of adult males recall a childhood
sexual assault or sexual abuse incident;
During a one-year period in the U.S., 16% of youth ages 14 to 17 had been sexually victimized;
Over the course of their lifetime, 28% of U.S. youth ages 14 to 17 had been sexually victimized;
Children are most vulnerable to CSA between the ages of 7 and 13.
According to a 2003 National Institute of Justice report, 3 out of 4 adolescents who have been
sexually assaulted were victimized by someone they knew well (page 5).

A Bureau of Justice Statistics report shows 1.6 % (sixteen out of one thousand) of children
between the ages of 12-17 were victims of rape/sexual assault (page 18).

A study conducted in 1986 found that 63% of women who had suffered sexual abuse by a
family member also reported a rape or attempted rape after the age of 14. Recent studies in
2000, 2002, and 2005 have all concluded similar results (page 8).

Children who had an experience of rape or attempted rape in their adolescent years were 13.7
times more likely to experience rape or attempted rape in their first year of college (page 9).

A child who is the victim of prolonged sexual abuse usually develops low self-esteem, a feeling
of worthlessness and an abnormal or distorted view of sex. The child may become withdrawn
and mistrustful of adults, and can become suicidal (page 1)

Children who do not live with both parents as well as children living in homes marked by
parental discord, divorce, or domestic violence, have a higher risk of being sexually abused
(page 171).

In the vast majority of cases where there is credible evidence that a child has been penetrated,
only between 5 and 15% of those children will have genital injuries consistent with sexual abuse
(page 2).

Child sexual abuse is not solely restricted to physical contact; such abuse could include
noncontact abuse, such as exposure, voyeurism, and child pornography (page 1).

Compared to those with no history of sexual abuse, young males who were sexually abused
were five times more likely to cause teen pregnancy, three times more likely to have multiple
sexual partners and two times more likely to have unprotected sex, according to the study
published online and in the June print issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.

National Crime Records Bureau report , released on Thursday, shows a steady rise in incidents
of offences against children.

Child sexual abuse has been in focus in recent months after the case of a 10-year-old rape
victim who was forced to give birth hit the headlines .

Two of her uncles were sentenced to life in jail for raping her.

According to the report on crimes in India for 2016, released by Indian Home Minister Rajnath
Singh in Delhi, 106,958 cases of crimes against children were recorded in 2016.

Of these, 36,022 cases were recorded under Pocso (Protection of Children from Sexual
Offences) Act

Still a far away to reach the goals

Today in our country there are various laws which are enacted in order to provide justice to the
children and to secure there innocence childhood. But the endeavour made by the legislature
still lacks a quality Framework for the assurance of the proper justice in the welfare of the
children.
Where the legislature and authorities are concerned about the making the laws for the
punishment of the accused who are involved in such a heinous crime ,,in my view the main
problems which lie is not of the execution of accused and giving of justice to the victims, we
have enough laws for all these, the main problem which makes us lack behind is that there are
many cases in our country of child abuse but the % of the reported cases are very low and
hence there is a need to make a solution not only for the justice but for ensuring the system
where there will be proper reporting of all the cases that are happening across the country
When we analyse the problems which cause the hinderence in the reported abuses, some of
the problems are-
1. Society pressure- the main problem in the reporting of cases is the society which poses
a stigma to the family and the child if any such catastrophe happens to them. The fear of
social ostracism donot let parents and children to openly accept the harassment
occured to them and they in the fear of such societal effect are unable to provide justice
to the child and themselves.
2. Fear of parents- many children after the sexual abuse with them don't report such crimes
as they feel there parents will scold them or the freedom which they had will be taken
from them and the trauma in their mind don't let them do the right thing
3. Fear of further consequences-Children could not predict the consequences and in the
fear of what will happen they prefer to shut up and doesn't report the case
4. Fear of the rapist or the accused- the rapist or the accused causes a great apprehension
in the mind of the child that if they will tell someone about the incident something worse
will happen to them.

Ways to tackle the problem of non reporting of cases of child abuse

1. Awareness of such abuses and it's harmful consequences to the members of society,
parents and children and to make them understand of the benefits and the need of such
reporting of crimes in order to stop the crime in the society.
2. Removing the stigma in the society- the most appropriate measure in order to ensure the
accounting of incidents is removing the stigma in the society so that there will be no
shame in the part of parents and children in accepting the abuse and ensuring the
justice
3. Parents should guide there children about such incidents and should make them
comfortable in accepting the act if such act happens to them so that there can be no fear
in the mind of the child.
4.