Child Abuse Negl. 1994 May;18(5):409-17.
The international epidemiology of child sexual abuse.
Finkelhor D.
Family Research Laboratory, University of New Hampshire, Durham 03824.
Surveys of child sexual abuse in large nonclinical populations of adults
have been conducted in at least 19 countries in addition to the United
States and Canada, including 10 national probability samples. All studies
have found rates in line with comparable North American research, ranging
from 7% to 36% for women and 3% to 29% for men. Most studies found females
to be abused at 1 1/2 to 3 times the rate for males. Few comparisons among
countries are possible because of methodological and definitional
differences. However, they clearly confirm sexual abuse to be an
international problem.
