The Incidence and Prevalence of Child Sexual Abuse in the Contemporary World

Abstract

The article analyzes the evolution of incidence and prevalence rates of child sexual abuse recorded in the statistics of different states and regions of the world, including the United States of America, Canada, Australia, Central America and South America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The paper also discusses the conclusions of the main international reports and assessments on the extent of the child sexual abuse phenomenon and it emphasizes certain distinct characteristics of child sexual abuse perpetrated by women against minors, mainly against teenagers.

Keywords

• child sexual abuse
• incidence and prevalence rates of CSA
• international reports and assessments on CSA
• female perpetrators