Most of the reported abusers are male. It is the offender who initiates the sexual activity. The offender is responsible for the abuse no matter what the child does. A recent Canadian study revealed that more than 40 percent of convicted child molesters were sexually abused as children. They tended to choose victims close to the age at which they were first victimized.
Offenders use a number of tactics to gain access to children and to ensure their victim's silence.
These tactics include the use of threats, physical force, bribery, and other forms of physical and psychological coercion. Some offenders have abused more than 70 children before any of the victims disclosed the abuse. In cases in which one offender has abused a large number of victims, the abused children are more likely to be male. Incest offenders reflect the same range of education, religion, occupation, intelligence and mental health status as can be found in a representative cross-section of the general population. Abusers are found among all ages, ethnocultural communities and social classes.