Title: 
Headings: CH IL D SEX U AL  AB U SE STATISTICS Risk Factors
CH
 
IL
 
D
 
SEX
 
U
 
AL
  
AB
 
U
 
SE
 
STATISTICS
 
Risk
 
Factors
 

FACT:
  

References
 


Content: While
 
no
 
child
 
is
 
immune,
 
there
 
are
 
child
 
and
 
family
 
characteristics
 
that
 
significantly
 
heighten
 
or
 
lower
 
risk
 
of
 
sexual
 
abuse. The
 
following
 
risk
 
factors
 
are
 
based
 
on
 
reported
 
and
 
identified
 
cases
 
of
 
abuse: The
 
risk
 
for
 
sexual
 
abuse
 
is
 
tripled
 
for
 
children
 
whose
 
parent(s)
 
are
 
not
 
in
 
the
 
labor
 
force.3


Children
 
in
 
low
 
socioeconomic
 
status
 
households
 
are
 
three
 
times
 
as
 
likely
 
to
 
be
 
identified
 
as
 
a
 
victim
of
 
child
 
abuse.3


Children
 
who
 
live
 
in
 
rural
 
areas
 
are
 
almost
 
two
 
times
 
more
 
likely
 
to
 
be
 
identified
 
as
 
victims
 
of
 
child
sexual
 
abuse.3


Children
 
who
 
witness
 
or
 
are
 
the
 
victim
 
of
 
other
 
crimes
 
are
 
significantly
 
more
 
likely
 
to
 
be
 
sexually
abused.32

FACT: Family
 
and
 
acquaintance
 
child
 
sexual
 
abuse
 
perpetrators
 
have
 
reported
 
that
 
they
 
look
 
for
 
specific
 
characteristics
 
in
 
the
 
children
 
they
 
choose
 
to
 
abuse. Perpetrators
 
report
 
that
 
they
 
look
 
for
 
passive,
 
quiet,
 
troubled,
 
lonely
 
children
 
from
 
single
 
parent
 
or
 
broken
 
homes.17
Perpetrators
 
frequently
 
seek
 
out
 
children
 
who
 
are
 
particularly
 
trusting
 
and
 
work
 
proactively
 
to
 
establish
 
a
 
trusting
 
relationship
 
before
 
abusing
 
them.51
 
Not
 
infrequently,
 
this
 
extends
 
to
 
establishing
 
a
 
trusting
 
relationship
 
with
 
the
 
victim’s
 
family
 
as
 
well.17
 
References
 
3
 
Sedlak,
 
A.J.,
 
Mettenburg,
 
J.,
 
Basena,
 
M.,
 
Petta,
 
I.,
 
McPherson,
 
K.,
 
Greene,
 
A.,
 
and
 
Li,
 
S.
 
(2010). Fourth
 
National
 
Incidence
 
Study
 
of
 
Child
 
Abuse
 
and
 
Neglect
 
(NIS–4): Report
 
to
 
Congress,
 
Executive
 
Summary. Washington,
 
DC: U.S.
 
Department
 
of
 
Health
 
and
 
Human
 
Services,
 
Administration
 
for
 
Children
 
and
 
Families. 9
 
Snyder,
 
H.
 
N.
 
(2000).