What can be done?

The fist step that must be taken is to cease the silence surrounding the silent epidemic of child sexual abuse. Until society speaks up and victims feel comfortable coming forward we will be unable to get a true picture of this problem.

Help us start a conversation about child sexual abuse. By bringing this topic out of the shadows we allow for real conversations that can lead to real progress. Together, as a community, we can come together to protect our children from sexual abuse.

Citations

1. 42 U.S.C.A. § 5106g(2) (West Supp. 1998)
2. 42 U.S.C.A. § 5106g(4) (West Supp. 1998)
3. ACE Study - Prevalence - Adverse Childhood Experiences. www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/ace/prevalence.htm
4. Browne, A, & Finkelhor, D. (1986). Impact of child sexual abuse: A review of the research. Psychological Bulletin, 99, 66-77.
5. Day, A., Thurlow, K., & Woolliscroft, J. (2003). Working with childhood sexual abuse: A survey of mental health professionals. Child Abuse & Neglect, 27, 191-1998.
6. Douglas, E., Finkelhor, D. (2005). Child Sexual Abuse Fact Sheet, Crimes Against Children Research Center. www.unh.edu/ccrc
7. Kellogg, N.D., Hoffman, T.J, & Taylor, E.R. (1999). Early sexual experience among pregnant and parenting adolescents. Adolescence, 43, 293-303
8. Kendler, K., Bulik, C., Silberg, J., Hettema, J., Myers, J., & Prescott, C. (2000). Childhood sexual abuse and adult psychiatric and substance use disorders in women: An epidemiological and Cotwin Control Analysis. Archives of General Psychiatry, 57, 953-959.
9. Molnar, B.V., Buka, S.L, & Kessler, R.C. (2001). Child sexual abuse and subsequent psychopathology: Results from the National Comorbidity Study. American Journal of Public Health, 9, 753-760.
10. Noll, J.G., Trickett, P.K., & Putnam, F.W. (2003). A prospective investigation of the impact of childhood sexual abuse on the development of sexuality. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71, 575-586.
11. Paolucci, E.O, Genuis, M.L, & Violato, C. (2001). A meta-analysis of the published research on the effects of child sexual abuse. Journal of Psychology, 135, 17-36.
12. Saewyc, E.M., Magee, L.L., & Pettingall, S.E. (2004). Teenage pregnancy and associated risk behavior among sexually abused adolescents. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health , 36(3), 98-105.
13. Saunders, B.E., Kilpatrick, D.G., Hanson, R.F., Resnick, H.S., & Walker, M.E. (1999). Prevalence, case characteristics, and long term psychological correlates of child rape among women: A national survey. Child Maltreatment, 4, 187-200.
14. Snyder, H.N., Sexual assualt of young children as reported to law enforcement: Victim, incident and offender characteristics, in A NIBRIS Statistical Report. 2000, U.S. Department of Justice: Washington, D.C.
15. Voeltanz, N., Wilsnack, S., Harris, R., Wilsnack, R., Wonderlich, S., Kristjanson, A. (1999). Prevalence and risk for childhood sexual abuse in women : National survey findings. Child Abuse and Neglect, 23, 579-592.