ESTIMATING THE PREVALENCE OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSEIn 1999, the child advocacy group Child Protect
amassed the following figures regarding child sexual abuse within Alabama : a total of 763 cases ofchild abuse and neglect were reported and 566 ofthese cases were indicated ; 54% of the cases
involved neglect, 25% involved physical abuse,
12% involved sexual abuse, and 9% were unspecified . This data is based upon figures derived fromthe counties of Montgomery, Autauga, Chilton,
Elmore, and Lowndes .

NATIONAL STATISTICS
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION. (1995) . DISCIPLINING
CHILDREN IN AMERICA: A GALLUP POLL REPORT.
PRINCETON, NJ : THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION .

This 1995 telephone survey, conducted by the
Gallup Poll, indicated that as many as 19 per 1,000
children have suffered sexual abuse . The results
indicate that more children are abused (all types ofabuse) and neglected than are found in Child
Protective Services reports.

CHILD WELFARE LEAGUE OF AMERICA (2001) .
ALABAMA'S CHILDREN 2001 . RETRIEVED MARCH 26,

WANG, C . & DARO, D . (1998) . CURRENT TRENDS IN

2003, FROMHTTP ://WWWCWLA .ORG/ADVOCACY/STATEFACTSHEETS/2001/ALABAMA .HTM

CHILD ABUSE REPORTING AND FATALITIES : THE
RESULTS OF THE 1997 ANNUAL FIFTY STATE SURVEY.
THE

CENTER

ON

CHILD

ABUSE

During 1998, a total of 16,668 cases of child abuse
and neglect were reported . It was computed 15 .4
per 1,000 children were abused . When the types ofabuse are specified, 7 .1 were neglected, 6 .1 were
physically abused, and 3 .3 were sexually abused(per 1,000 children) .

PREVENTIONRESEARCH . CHICAGO, IL : NATIONAL COMMITTEE TO
PREVENT CHILD ABUSE .

In 1998 a survey was sent to the "federally
appointed liaisons for child abuse and neglect" ineach of the fifty states and the District of Columbia .
Information presented in this 1997 report included(but is not limited to) the following : the number ofreported and substantiated victims of child maltreatment during 1995, 1996, and 1997; a breakdown by type of maltreatment ; and the number ofconfirmed fatalities resulting from child abuse .
Child sexual abuse constituted 7% of reported
cases and 8% of substantiated cases . However, notall states responded to the survey .

ALASKA
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES,DIVISION OF FAMILY AND YOUTH SERVICES . (1994) .
FISCAL YEAR 1993 ANNUAL REPORT. DIVISION OF
FAMILY AND YOUTH SERVICES .

The rate of child sexual abuse in Alaska is six times
the national average . This figure is based upon thefollowing data : Child Protective Services received
1,431 reports of sexual abuse in 1989 (out of 7,786
reports total), 1,556 in 1990 (out of 9,021 reports
total), 1,681 in 1991 (out of 10,283 reports total),
2,039 in 1992 (out of 12,386 reports total), and2,249 in 1993 (out of 14,617 reports total) .

STATEWIDE STATISTICS

Only 30 States and the District of Columbia published empirical studies concerning sexual abusestatistics .

ALABAMACHILD
PROTECT:THE
MONTGOMERY AREA
CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTER (1999) . CHILD
ABUSE STATISTICS . RETRIEVED MARCH 26, 2003,
FROM HTTP://WWWCHILDPROTECT.ORG/STATISTICS.HTM

208

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESDIVISION OF FAMILY AND YOUTH SERVICES . (1996) .

ARIZONAFISCAL YEAR

CHILD

ARIZONA'S CHILD ABUSE INFOCENTER . (2003) .

1993 ANNUAL REPORT. DIVISION OF

FAMILY AND YOUTH SERVICES .

2003,

ABUSE STATISTICS . RETRIEVED MARCH 26,
FROM
H TTP ://WWWAHSC.ARIZONA . EDU/ACAINFO/STATISTICS/FACT SHEET.HTM

Child Protective Services received 2,421 reports ofchild sexual abuse in 1994, and 2,031 reports ofchild sexual abuse in 1995 . The total number ofmaltreatment reports was 15,465 in 1994 and15,706 in 1995 . The at-risk population is listed as
186,271 in 1994 and 187,351 in 1995 .
RID

ALASKA . (2000) .

FAMILYSERVICEThe Arizona Child Abuse InfoCenter reported thatout of 17,104 cases of abuse, 60% involved alleged
neglect, 32% physical abuse, 6% sexual abuse, and
2% emotional abuse . These figures are based upon
the Semi-annual Report ; Arizona Department of
Economic Security ; Division of Children, Youthand Families from April 1st, 2002 until September

CHILD

REPORTS OF HARM BY REGION, FISCAL YEAR 2000 .
FROMRETRIEVED
MARCH
1,
2003

30, 2002 .

HTTP://W W W ALASKA .NET/-ROSENBA U/ STAT.HTML

CHILDREN'S ACTION ALLIANCE (2002) . ARIZONA'S
ABUSED

This report divided Alaska into four regions :Northern Region, Southcentral Region, Southeast
Region, and Anchorage Region . The total numberof child sexual abuse cases (reported), for all
regions, was 1,869 (11 .5% of abuse statistics) .
Statistics are also included on a breakdown of
felony and misdemeanor cases by city court site .

PROTECTIVE

MARCH

(CPS)

REPORTS

CHILD
AND

Based upon the Arizona Children Organization,
6% of abuse reports were related to alleged sexual
abuse . The majority of the cases are related to situations of alleged neglect (60%) and physical abuse(32%) while allegations of emotional abuse are theleast reported (2%) . When these reports are further
evaluated, 13% are classified as high risk, 27% asmoderate risk, 40% as low risk, and 20% as potential abuse and neglect .

ABUSE IN ARKANSAS .
26, 2003

SERVICES

CHILDREN :AND NEGLECT.ASP

ARKANSAS COMMISSION ON CHILD ABUSE . (2002) .
RETRIEVED

NEGLECTEDRESPONSE . RETRIEVED MARCH 26, 2003, FROMHTTP ://W W W.AZCHILDREN .ORG/CAA/_MAI N
PAGES/FACT-SHEETS &_LINKS/FACTS_ABOUT-AB USE_

ARKANSAS
FACT SHEET ABOUT CHILD

AND

FROM

W WWACCARDV.UAMS.EDU/ FACTS.HTM

The source of this information gathered by the
Arkansas Commission is the US Department of
Health and Human Services-Administration forChildren and Families (April 2000) . This fact sheet
provides statistics on general information aboutchild abuse in Arkansas . The types of abuse are notdifferentiated . In 1998, based upon a child population of 653,721, 13 .1 per 1,000 children were victims of abuse, compared to 12 .9 for the nation. The
fact sheet also states that nearly 12% of child abuse
victims were sexually abused .

CALIFORNIA
CHILDREN Now. (2001) . CALIFORNIA REPORT CARD
2001 : FACTORS FOR SCHOOL SUCCESS . RETRIEVED
FROMHTTP ://WWWCHILDRENNOWORG/CALIFORNIA/RC-2001/REPORTCARD-2001 .HTM

The Children Now Organization has concluded
that over 660,000 children were abused in 2000 .
However, there is no differentiation between thetypes of abuse reported . In 1996, 78 per 1,000
reports were filed whereas in 2000, there was adecrease to 68 reports per 1,000 children . When thedata is evaluated by region, there appears to be anincrease in Glenn, Inyo and Tehama counties while
Lassen, Solano and Yuba counties have displayeda decline.

2 09

FORDHAM

COLORADOINSTITUTE FORINNOVATION

IN SOCIALCOALITION AGAINST SEXUAL ASSAULT .

POLICY. (1999) . SOCIAL STATE OF CONNECTICUT `99 :(2003) . TOWARD HEALING AND JUSTICE : A HANDBOOKFOR SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT . DENVER, CO :PART III A CLOSER LOOK : A SOCIAL PROFILE OF

COLORADO COALITION AGAINST SEXUAL ASSAULT .

HTTP://W WWCGA .STATE . CT. USICOC/SOC_INDEXOOIPART

COLORADOCONNECTICUT. RETRIEVED MARCH 26, 2003, FROM

_III.HTMLThis resource for survivors of sexual assault
includes information on the definitions of sexual
violence and assault, health and medical concerns,
various agency responses to the problem, contacts
for survivors, and some basic statistics . In
Colorado, one in four women suffered an
attempted or completed sexual assault in her lifetime, whereas one in seventeen men experienced thesame . Sixty-one percent of rape cases occurred
before the victim was eighteen .

Based upon data from 1997, 36,638 cases of childabuse were filed . The abuse occurred at a rate of
45 .7 per 1,000 children and there were more than
1,000 reported cases of child sexual abuse . Thisappears to be a slight improvement when compared
to previous years ; however, the authors contend
that it is still higher than any year prior to 1995 .

DELAWAREOATES, R. KIM . (2000) .

ERRONEOUS

CHILD WELFARE LEAGUECONCERNS

OF AMERICA . (2003) .

ABOUT CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE . CHILD ABUSE AND NEG-

DELAWARE'S CHILDREN 2003 . RETRIEVED MARCHLECT 24 (1), 149-157 .

29, 2003, FROM H TTP://WWWCWLA .OR G

The aim of the author was to assess the incidence ofchild sexual abuse, with a focus on false reporting(what Oates classifies as "erroneous concerns") .
Case records of reported child sexual abuse, fromJanuary 1st, 1992 to December 31st, 1992, were
evaluated ; the cases had been investigated by the
Denver Department of Social Services . In total, 551
cases were reviewed. Of those, 43% were substantiated, 31% were inconclusive, and 34% were notconsidered cases of abuse.

Based on annual statistics of child abuse and neglect
for the year 2000, this agency reports a rate of 0 .9
per 1,000 children in Delaware as being sexually
abused .
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES . (2003) . RETRIEVEDMARCH 29, 2003 FROM HTTP ://WWWACFHHS .GOV/
PROGRAMS/CB/PUBLICATIONSICWO99/STATEDATA .HTM

In 1998, 8 .6% of substantiated child abuse reports
were sexual in nature compared to 1999, when
11 .1 % of substantiated cases were related to sexual
abuse.

CONNECTICUTCHILD WELFARE LEAGUE OF AMERICA . (2000) .
CONNECTICUT'S CHILDREN 2001 : CHILD ABUSE AND
NEGLECT . RETRIEVED MARCH 26, 2003, FROMDISTRICT OF COLUMBIAH TTP ://WWW.CWLA .ORG/ADVOCACYISTATEFAC T

CHILD WELFARE - LEAGUE OF AMERICA (2002) .
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA'S CHILDREN 2002 : CHILDSHEETS/2001/CONNECTICUT.HTM .

ABUSE AND NEGLECT. RETRIEVED MARCH 26, 2003,

Based upon figures from the Child Welfare League ofAmerica (CWLA) in 1998, Connecticut had 16,923
reports of child abuse and neglect . This indicates that
abuse occurred at a rate of 21 .4 per 1,000 children in
the population . When the type of abuse is examined,
18 .5 children were neglected, 3 .5 were physicallyabused, and 0 .9 were sexually abused .

FROM HTTP ://WWWCWLA .ORG/ADVOCACYISTATEFACTSHEETS/2002/DC .HTM .

The Child Welfare League of America, an advocacy
organization, concluded that 2,308 cases of childabuse were reported in the District of Columbia
during 1999 . This is a rate of 24 .2 children per
1,000 that were abused . When this figure is examined on the basis of types of abuse, 17 .4 were neglected, 3 .5 were physically abused, and 0 .4 were210

sexually abused. These figures are encouraging as
there is a reported decline of 113% from 1998 .

IDAHOCHILD WELFARE LEAGUE OF AMERICA . (2001) .

IDAHO'S CHILDREN 2001 : CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT .

FLORIDACPS WATCH (2001) . FLORIDA FOSTER CARE STATISTICS .

RETRIEVED

MARCH

26, 2003,

MARCH

FROM

CACY/STATEFACT-SHEETS/2001/IDAHO.HTM

In 1998, the CWLA reports that there were 7,936
cases of child abuse and neglect in Idaho . This is an
abuse rate of 2 .6 per 1,000 children in which 10 .7
were neglected, 7 were physically abused, and 3 .7
were sexually abused.

FL .HTM

Based upon data gathered from the Florida
Department of Children and Families, CPS Watch
has compiled figures concerning child abuse and neglect. While the date of when these figures were compiled is unclear, the 2001 publication shows that
6,011 cases of child sexual abuse were reported,accounting for 7 .32% of all types of maltreatment .

CPS WATCH . (N.D .) . IDAHO FOSTER CARE STATISTICS .
RETRIEVED MARCH 26, 2003, FROM HTTP://WWW.

CPS WATCH. COM/OLDSITE/STATS/STATES/ID .HTM

Based upon data collected by the Idaho Department
of Health and Welfare, Division of Family andCommunity Services, CPS Watch has listed theprevalence of child abuse and neglect . While thedate of when these figures were compiled is unclear,
there were 1,290 cases of child sexual abuse
reported, accounting for 47 .54% of all types ofchild maltreatment .

GEORGIA
PREVENT CHILD ABUSE GEORGIA . (N .D .) . STATISTICS.
RETRIEVED MARCH 26, 2003, FROM HTTP ://WWW.PR E

VENTCHILDABUSEGA .ORG/HTML/STATISTICS .HTML

Based upon official reports of child abuse, an examination of the data illustrates that from 1998 to2000, there was an increase in reports of childabuse and neglect. There were 2,050 reports of sexual abuse in 1998, 2,265 reports in 1999, and2,354 in 2000 . This indicates that there was achange of + 4% during the three years . Note that
"Other" includes drug exposure, addiction at birth,gunshot wounds, medical care needed and childfatalities, among others .

ILLINOISCANTS ALLEGATION .

( 1998) . CHILD ABUSE AND

NEGLECT STATISTICS ANNUAL REPORT-FISCAL YEAR
1997 .

RETRIEVEDAPRIL

15, 2003,

FROM

H TTP://WWW. STATE .IL.US/DCFS/CANTS97_FIG4 .SHTM L

Based on government statistics this organization
concluded that 7.58% of abuse allegations received
by DCFS concerned sexual abuse and 10 .25% of allabuse allegations were sexual in nature .

HAWAIIWELFARE26, 2003,

FROM

HTTP ://W W W CPS WATCH. COM/OLDSITE/STATS/STATES/CHILDRETRIEVEDH TTP ://WWW.CWLA .ORG/ADV OLEAGUE OF AMERICA . (2003) .

HAWAII'S CHILDREN 2003 . RETRIEVED MARCH 29,

CHILD WELFARE LEAGUE OF AMERICA . (2003) .

2003

ILLINOIS'S CHILDREN 2003 . RETRIEVED MARCH 29,
2003, FROM H TTP ://WWW.CWLA .ORG/ADVOCACY/FROMH TTP://WWWCWLA .ORG/ADVOCACY/STATE FACT SHEETS/2003/HAWAILPDF

STATEFACTSSHEETS/ILLINOIS .PDF

In 2000, there were 295,767 estimated children
under the age of 18 in Hawaii . Of every 1,000
children, 0 .8 were sexually abused (based on official statistics) .

According to statistics for 2000, 1 .0 out of every
1,000 children was sexually abused in Illinois . This isbased upon an estimated population of 3,245,451
children under the age of 18 .

21 1

5,800 recorded cases, 34%

INDIANACHILD

DUNEBROOK . (2000) .

ABUSE

involved children ages

seventeen and under.

STATISTICS .

RETRIEVED APRIL, 2003, FROM HTTP://WWWDUNE
RECORD NUMBER OF CHILD ABUSERS PROSECUTED .

B ROOK. ORG/STATS .HTML.

(1997, JULY 7) . SEX WEEKLY . RETRIEVED MARCH 30,
2003, FROM LEXIS-NEXIS .

Based upon official figures collected by Child
Protective Services, 42,979 reports were filed concerning child abuse and neglect during 2000 . Whenthe types of abuse are examined, 63% involved neglect, 19% involved physical abuse, 10% involved
sexual abuse, and 8% involved sexual maltreatment . When sexual abuse was examined, a rate of
1 .7 victims per 1,000 female children and 0 .4 victims per 1,000 male children was established .

This report evaluates cases between the years of1994 and 1996 in Kentucky. Statewide, 10,610
incidents of child abuse were reported and of thosecases, 4,624 were substantiated by social workers .
The news article focuses upon the subject of childsexual abuse, but the numbers are not distributed
according to specific types of abuse . It appears as if
the phrases "child sexual abuse" and "child abuse"
are used interchangeably .

IOWA
CHILD WELFARE

LEAGUEIOWA'S CHILDREN 2003 .
2003, FROMOF AMERICA .

(2003) .

LOUISIANA

RETRIEVED MARCH 29,

LOUISIANA CHILDREN'S TRUST FUND . (N.D .) . WHAT IS

HTTP ://WWW.CWLA.ORG/ADVOCACY/STATEFACISSHEETS/IOWA .PDF

In 2000, based upon official statistics, 1 .3 out of
every 1,000 children was sexually abused . There
were an estimated 733,638 children under the ageof 18 in 2000 .

CHILD

ABUSE AND

2003,

FROM

NEGLECT?

RETRIEVED APRIL,

H TTP://WWWLCTFORG/ABUSE%2 0

AND%20NEGLECT %20rN%20LOUISIANA .HTM

As based upon official reports in 1999, 31,699
reports were filed concerning child abuse and neglect resulting in the investigation of 23,921 cases .
The investigations yielded 7,664 valid cases (32%)
involving 12,813 children .

KANSASCPS WATCH . (N .D .) . KANSAS FOSTER CARE STATISTICS .
RETRIEVEDAPRIL,

2003,

FROM

H TTP ://WWW

MAINE

CPSWATCH.COM/OLDSITE/STATS/STATES/KS .HTM

CHILD WELFARE LEAGUE OF AMERICA . (2003) .

CPS Watch collected statistics from the Kansas
Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services
based upon a child population of 697,452, of which
8,488 are in the care of the state . While the date ofwhen these figures were compiled is unclear, there
were 1,023 cases involving sexual abuse .

MAINE'S CHILDREN 2003 . RETRIEVED MARCH 30,
2003,

FROM

HTTP ://WWWCWLA .ORG/ADVOCACY/STATEFACTSHEETSIMAINE .PDF

Based upon statistics for the year 2000, 3 .2 outof every 1,000 children were sexually abused .
The estimated child population in 2000 was
301,238 .

KENTUCKYCHILD SEXUAL ABUSE : KENTUCKY ABUSE NUMBERSHAVE TRIPLED IN TEN YEARS . (1997, MARCH 24) . SEXMINNESOTAWEEKLY. RETRIEVED MARCH 30, 2003, FROM LEXIS-MINNESOTA STUDENT SURVEY 1991 : A REPORT ON

NEXIS .

SPECIAL POPULATIONS . (1991) . ST. PAUL : MINNESOTA
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION .

In 1996, the rape crisis centers in Kentucky
reported 5,800 cases of sexual abuse/assault . This is
triple the amount from one decade ago . Of the

The original Minnesota survey was conducted inorder to ascertain a portrait of adolescent life .

212

This article evaluates unsubstantiated child maltreatment reports where voluntary preventive services were provided by the state . Data is also presented on substantiated cases in order to see how
the services offered varied when based upon substantiation . The initial data consisted of all childabuse and neglect cases reported to the Missouri
Department of Family Services (N = 48,415) during
the 1992 calendar year. Of the 48,415 cases in the
database, 35,014 were unsubstantiated cases . Of
these, 28,039 cases (80%) were free of missing
data . Among these cases, 2,674 were reports of sexual abuse. Sexual abuse cases showed statisticallysignificant differences between the preventive services group and the control group .
Way, I ., Chung, S ., Jonson-Reid, M., & Drake, B .
(2001) . Maltreatment perpetrators : A 54-monthanalysis of recidivism . Child Abuse and Neglect,
25,1093-1108.

However, the authors of this piece felt that the portrait was inaccurate, because at-risk adolescentswere excluded due to the design of the study (i .e., it
was given to students at public schools to fill out,
thus neglecting adolescents in custody or alternative
schools) . A slightly revised edition of the 1989
study was administered in 1991 to a sample of
3,573 students in Minnesota alternative schools,
area learning centers, residential treatment centers,and Corrections/Detention centers . The data collected from this group was then compared to the91,175 students who participated in the original
1989 Minnesota Student Survey . For alternative
schools there were 2,425 completed surveys that
included students ages 12 to 21 . The results are as
follows: 16% of females and 2% of males reported
intrafamilial sexual abuse (compared to 8% offemales and 2% of males in regular schools) ; 35%of females and 5% of males reported extrafamilial
abuse (compared to 17% and 3% respectively) ;and, 38% of females and 5% of males reported
either/both types of sexual abuse (compared to
20% and 4% respectively) . Four hundred andsixty-onesurveys werecollected
from
Corrections/Detention centers . These results illustrate that 17% of females and 9% of males
reported intrafamilial sexual abuse (compared to
5% and 2% respectively) ; 45% of females and 15%
of males reported extrafamilial sexual abuse (compared to 17% and 2% respectively) ; and 48% offemales and 17% of males reported either/both
types of sexual abuse (compared to 18% and 3%
respectively) . Males greatly outnumbered females inthis sample . Three hundred and forty-eight surveys
were returned from adolescents in Residential
Treatment Centers . Forty-one percent of females
and 8 % of males reported intrafamilial abuse (compared to 10% and 2% respectively) ; 54% offemales and 16% of males reported extrafamilial
abuse (compared to 16% and 3% respectively) ; and63% of females and 18% of males reported
either/both types of sexual abuse (compared to
19% and 3% respectively) .

This study looks at recidivism rates for allegedchild abuse perpetrators . A comparison is madebetween those whose initial reports were substantiated and those whose initial report was
not substantiated in order to determine if one
groups recidivates at a higher rate than theother. This sample included 31,531 perpetrators who committed intrafamilial maltreatment. The cases that were examined came from
the Missouri Department of Family Services .
Abuse is broken down into three types : sexual
abuse, physical abuse, and neglect . In the sample, 1,321 (or 4 .2%) of the index cases were
sexual abuse . Overall, the recidivism rate was
42.4% ; for sexual abuse it was 4% . The primary finding of this study was that perpetrators
whose index event was unsubstantiatedreturned to the system at a higher rate . In conclusion, the authors state that there needs to bea way to determine which individuals withunsubstantiated cases of abuse are likely to be
at risk of recidivating .

NEVADAMISSOURI

UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO . (N .D .) . REPORTING

DRAKE, B . (1996) . PREDICTORS OF PREVENTIVE SERV-CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT. RETRIEVED MAY, 2003,

ICES PROVISIONS AMONG UNSUBSTANTIATED CASES .

FROMCHILD MALTREATMENT, 1, 168-175 .

FS01/FS0140 .HTM

213

HTTP://WWWUNCE.UNR .EDU/PUBLICATIONS/According to the Nevada Child Abuse & Neglect
Statistics (2000), compiled by the State of Nevada
Division of Child and Family Services, a total of
6,976 cases of child abuse and neglect werereported in 2000 . Of these cases, 254 involved sexual abuse/exploitation .

TEXAS
SAPP, A.D. & CARTER, D.L. (1978) . A DESCRIPTIVESTUDY OF TEXAS RESIDENTS' ATTITUDES . HUNTSVILLE,
TX : SAM HOUSTON STATE UNIVERSITY.

This study evaluated the opinions of Texas residents
on issues of child abuse . Additionally, the researchersattempted to determine the extent of child abuse in
the state and public awareness of the issue . The
researchers randomly selected 2000 Texas residents
from 178 counties to receive a mail survey . Of the2000 surveys, 1,339 were returned with usable data .
The authors found that 8 .5% of respondents
reported that their children had been abused and37 .5% of these cases involved sexual abuse.

NEW JERSEYCHILD WELFARE LEAGUE OF AMERICA . (N .D .) . NEW
JERSEY'S CHILDREN . RETRIEVED MAY 20, 2003, FROMH TTP ://WWW.CWLA .ORG/ADVOCACY/STATEFAC TSHEETS/2003/NEWJERSEY.PDF

During 2000, 38,330 reported cases of child abuse
and neglect were filed with child protective services
at a rate of 18 .4 children per 1,000 . Of these cases,
8,727 were substantiated creating a rate of 4 .2 per
1,000 children .

UTAH
TAUTEOLI, K . & LEAS, R . (1992) . CHILD SEXUAL
ABUSE: STATISTICS, TRENDS, AND CASE OUTCOMES .

RETRIEVED APRIL 10, 2003, FROM HTTP ://WWW.JRSA.
ORG/PUBS/FORUM/ARCHIVES/MAR92 .HTML.

NORTH DAKOTAThis article discusses awareness of child sexual
abuse in the state of Utah . In the 1980's, a series ofchild abductions that resulted in murders led to theformation of a statewide taskforce that sought todetermine the incidence of child sexual abuse in
Utah . The main aim was to determine if child sexual abuse was increasing or decreasing. The authors
took information from the 1990 Annual Report of
the Central Register for Child Abuse and Neglect .

THOMPSON, K .M, WONDERLICH, S.A ., CROSBY,
R .D ., & MITCHELL, J .E . (2001) . SEXUAL VICTIMIZATION AND ADOLESCENT WEIGHT REGULATION PRACTICES : A TEST ACROSS THREE COMMUNITY BASED SAMPLES . CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT 25, 291-305 .

In a statewide survey of 966 children, prevalence ofsexual abuse was found to be 12 .4% . In an urban
sample in which a different survey was utilized, aprevalence rate of 20 .6% was found within thesample of 2,086 . In a rural sample, which utilized adifferent survey, a prevalence rate of 13 .7% prevalence was found in a sample of 2,629 .

VERMONTAGENCYOFHUMANSERVICES-SOCIALANDREHABILITATION SERVICES . (2003) . ABUSE AND NEGLECT STATISTICS . RETRIEVED MARCH 29, 2003, FROMHTTP ://WWW STATE. VT. US/SRSIABUSE .HTMPENNSYLVANIAPENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WELFARE .
(N .D .) . OFFICE OF CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILIES .

Data reported by this agency found that in 1999, 436(49% substantiated) children were sexually abused .
During 2000, 471 (45 % substantiated) were sexually
abused and in 2001, 424 (38% substantiated) children were sexually abused . The highest number was
reported in 1992, in which 811 children were sexually abused .

RETRIEVED MAY 21, 2003, FROM H TTP://WWWDP W
STATE .PA. US/OCYF/OCYFCA .ASP

During 2000, 22,809 cases of child abuse were filedwith official organizations . Of these cases, 5,002
were substantiated (21 .9%) and 50% of the substantiated cases involved allegations of sexual abuse .

STATE SEES DROP IN CASES OVER SIX YEARS . (1997,
AUGUST 4) . SEX WEEKLY. RETRIEVED MARCH 30,
2003, FROM LEXIS-NEXIS.

2 14

This article reports that Vermont has a "higher rateof child sexual abuse than the rest of the nation ." In1990, there were 77 child victims of sexual abusefrom ranging in age from infancy to age 3 . In 1996,
the number decreased to 21 . There were no figures
provided for other age groups and the source of thisdata is unclear .

als age 18-20 reported experiencing a forcible rape .
Two hundred and seventy five (53 .8%) children ages
1-12 experienced forcible sodomy compared to 103(20 .2%) individuals ages 13-15 . Thirty-seven (7 .2%)
individuals ages 16-17 and 25 (5 .0%) individuals
ages 18-20 also experienced forcible sodomy . One
hundred and eighteen (60 .2%) children ages 1-12
experienced assault with an object compared to 25(12 .8%) cases reported by individuals ages 13-15
and 7 (3 .6%) individuals ages 16-17 and, 9 (4 .6%)
cases for individuals 18-20 . In total, 1438 cases offorcible fondling were reported for children ages 112, 727 cases for children ages 13-15, 225 cases forindividuals ages 16-17, and 161 cases for individuals
ages 18-20.

WASHINGTONWASHINGTON STATE INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY.

(1998, AUGUST) . SEX OFFENSES IN WASHINGTONSTATE : 1998 UPDATE . OLYMPIA, WA : WSIPP.
This report presents government statistics on theprevalence of child sexual abuse based upon cases
accepted for investigation by DSHS . In 1985, about
10% of the cases accepted involved sexual abuse ; in1990, just over 10% ; in 1995, about 7% ; and in
1997, about 7.5% . The report also assesses therecidivism rates for Washington State sex offenders
from 1985 to 1991 .

SEXUAL ASSAULTS IN

This is official data based upon cases reported to law
enforcement agencies in the state of Wisconsin during the year 1998 . An estimated 6,056 individuals
were victims of sexual abuse . This is a 3 .0% increase
from 1997. Seventy-eight percent of the victims were
juveniles and over 70% were 15 years of age or
younger. The average age of all sexual assault victims
was 15 and the median was 14 . Sexual assault was
broken down into several categories : forcible rape
(N=1,135), forcible sodomy (N=467), assault withan object (N=187), forcible fondling (N=2,658),
statutory rape (N=1,257), and ejaculate/excrete upon
victim (N=28) . The categories of assault can be broken down by age group : ages 1-12 experienced 193(17%) cases of forcible rape; 251 (53 .7%) forcible
sodomy ; 87 (46 .8%) assault with an object ; 1,216
forcible fondling . Ages 13-15 experienced 207(18 .3%) forcible rape; 101 (21 .6%) forcible sodomy ;43 (23.1%) assault with an object ; 671 forcible
fondling. For ages 16-17, 155 (13 .7%) experienced
forcible rape ; 26 (5 .6%) experienced forcible
sodomy ; and, 12 (6 .5%) experienced assault with anobject; 211 forcible fondling . Of those ages 18-20,
160 (14.1%) experienced forcible rape ; 20 (4.3%)
experienced forcible sodomy ; 9 (4 .8%) experienced
assault with an object; 165 experienced forcible
fondling. The average age of victims who were either
ejaculated or excreted upon was 13 .

(2003) . WISCONSIN-PREVALENCE OF CHILD ABUSE. RETRIEVED MARCH 29, 2003,
PREVENT CHILD ABUSE .

H TTP://WWWPREVENTCHILDABUSEWI .ORG /PRE VALENCE .HTM

Based on data from the Department of Health andHuman Services, in 2001 there were 4,606 cases ofsubstantiated child sexual abuse in Wisconsin .
SEXUALASSAULTS IN

WISCONSIN

1998 . (1999) .

ASSISTANCE, STATISTICAL ANALYSIS CENTER.

WISCONSINFROM

WISCONSINMADISON, WISCONSIN : WISCONSIN OFFICE OF JUSTICE

1995. (1996) .

MADISON, WISCONSIN : WISCONSIN OFFICE OF JUSTICEASSISTANCE, STATISTICAL ANALYSIS CENTER .

These statistics are based on official data (thosereported to law enforcement agencies) . In 1995,
6,101 estimated sexual assaults were reported to law
enforcement agencies in the state . Seventy-five percent of the victims were juveniles and over 68% were
15 years of age or younger. These numbers are broken down further by age group and assault "type" :218 (17.2%) of children ages 1-12 and 222 (17 .5%)of juveniles ages 13-15 reported having experienced
forcible rape ; 134 (10 .6%) of teens ages 16-17
reported forcible rape and 163 (12 .9%) of individu-

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