About Child Abuse Child Abuse – It Doesn't Have to Happen It is
highly likely that you know a child who has been or is being
abused: • Experts estimate that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are
sexually abused before their 18th birthdays. This means that in
any classroom or neighborhood full of children, there are
children who are silently bearing the burden of sexual abuse. •
1 in 5 children are sexually solicited while on the Internet. •
Nearly 70% of all reported sexual assaults including assaults on
adults) occur to children ages 17 and under. • The median age
for reported sexual abuse is 9 years old. • Approximately 20% of
the victims of sexual abuse are under age 8. • Most child
victims never report their abuse. • Sexually abused children who
keep it a secret, or who tell and are not believed, are at a
greater risk than the general population for psychological,
emotional, social, and physical problems, often lasting into
adulthood. • 30-40% of children are abused by family members. •
As many as 60% are abus