Fast Facts

• The estimated direct costs of child sexual abuse in Canada as of 1995 were $3.6 billion.
• Indirect costs are immeasurable. The long-term consequences of abuse may include substance abuse, teen pregnancy, welfare and mental health service requirements, homelessness and criminal behaviour.

Child abuse in Canada

• On average, a child will disclose to five people before abuse actually gets reported.

• About half never tell anyone.

• 95% of those abusers are relatives or friends of their victims.

• Six months is the average time served by a convicted child sex offender

• One in three girls will be sexually abused. The average age is 12. One in six boys will be abused. The average age is 4.

Source, Little Warriors

• In 2007, 53,400 children and youth were the victims of a police-reported assault, with approximately 13,200 of these incidents perpetrated by a family member.
• In 2007, the sexual assault rate for children and youth was over 5 times higher than it was for adults.
• Fifty-five percent of children who were physically or sexually assaulted in 2007 were assaulted by a friend or acquaintance, 30% were assaulted by a family member, and the remaining 15% were assaulted by a stranger.
• Overall rates of family violence against children and youth have increased over the past decade. Specifically, according to police-reported trend data, the rate of family violence against children and youth was up 23% in 2007 compared to 1998.
• In 57% of incidents where children and youth were assaulted by a relative, a parent was identified as the abuser.
• In 2007, four in 10 child victims of family violence suffered physical injuries. Specifically, 48% of children and youth who were victimized by someone other than a relative sustained physical injuries, while another 40% of those victimized by a family member sustained physical injuries.

Source: Family violence in canada: A statistical profile. Statistics Canada, 2009.

Contribution of CAC’s to Felony Prosecutions of Child Sexual Abuse

Background: The purpose of this study was to look at the difference in the child sexual abuse prosecutions across two adjoining districts in a large urban US city from 1992 to 2000. One district experienced a significant increase in CAC participation while the other districts’ use of CAC’s did not have a substantial change.

Findings: Results demonstrated that although there was a decrease in city-wide sexual abuse cases, felony prosecutions of child sexual abuse doubled in the district where there was a significant increase in CAC participation. In the district where the use of CAC’s did not substantially change, results indicated that there was no increase in felony prosecutions of child sexual abuse.

Source: Miller, A. & Rubin, D. (2009). The contribution of children’s advocacy centers to felony prosecutions of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 33, 12-18.