Generally, children are sexually abused by adults who are related to them or known by them or their families. In sexual abuse cases committed against females, approximately one third to one-half of all perpetrators were related to the victim. Only about one-tenth of the abusers were related to their male victims. Many clinical settings currently are witnessing a dramatic increase in the number of adolescent offenders who have committed sexually aggressive acts against other children. The most vulnerable age for sexual abuse is between 7 and 13 years.
Sexual abuse occurs among all groups of the population.
It happens to children in both rural and urban areas and in all socioeconomic and educational levels, and across all racial and cultural groups. Statistics indicate that girls are more frequently the victims of sexual abuse, but the number of boy victims is significant. In addition, interviews with perpetrators suggest that they look for vulnerable children. Such children are young and appear to be isolated, depressed, or lonely. The degree of harm a child experiences as a result of sexual abuse depends upon the nature of the act, the age of the child, and the child's general environment.