Myths and Facts

The Myths and Facts of Incest

MYTH: Children are usually molested by strangers.
FACT: 85% if children are molested by someone they know. The people most likely to molest children are those who have the most opportunity and access to them.

MYTH: Incest only happens in lower class and/or rural families.
FACT: Incest plays no favorites. Incest crosses all socio-economic, race, and class barriers. It happens in both rural and urban centers.

MYTH: Only young girls are the victims of child abuse or incest.
FACT: Young boys are as vulnerable to sexual exploitation as are girls. Though reported cases indicate a higher percentage of girls, this can be attributed to the idea that males are expected to take care of themselves and, as a result, often do not deal with the problem by talking about it.

MYTH: It is only homosexuals who abuse children of their own sex.
FACT: Abuse is a crime of control, not sex. Victims are chosen because of easy access, not because of gender. Statistics show abuse of male children by males is most often perpetrated by heterosexual men or by pedophiles, rarely homosexuals.

MYTH: Child sexual abuse is a family problem, not a concern for outsiders.
FACT: We all pay the social price. 70% of runaway girls and boys, 70% of adolescent drug addicts and 90% of young prostitutes were victims of sexual abuse.

MYTH: The crisis of disclosure is more devastating than the abuse itself.
FACT: Disclosure brings the pain and suffering out into the open; it does not create it. Work the victims who did not disclose or who were not believed reveals the burden and devastation the child bears alone. Only disclosure will end the abuse and make the healing possible.

MYTH: Children lie about incest.
FACT: Children do not have the cognitive capabilities to talk about incest unless they’ve experienced it. If children lie about sexual abuse, it is often to say that it did not occur to protect the offender and/or the family unit.

Child Sexual Assault: Other Facts

Approximately 1 out of 3 girls and 1 out of 5 boys will be sexually abused before the age of 18. Persons with developmental disabilities are sexually assaulted more frequently by a factor estimated between 4 and 10.

The average victim of child abuse is between 8 and 11 years old. Some experts suggest that the most vulnerable child is between the ages of 6 and 10, and living in a two-parent home. Some experts estimate that 5 or 6 children in a typical classroom of thirty have been affected by sexual abuse, regardless of geographic area, race, or socioeconomic class.

Approximately 90% of offenders are known to the child/ren. In addition, a child is 3 times more likely to be molested by a recognized, trusted adult than by a stranger. 50% of child victims are molested in their own homes or in the offender’s home.

One recent study in Oregon found that more than 80% of known rapists were abused as children. The offender that rapes and is incarcerated has had an average of 76 victims during his lifetime.

Perpetrators of sexual abuse are compulsive and repetitive in their offending behavior. The average pedophile will have an average of 244 victims in his lifetime. Forty-two percent of pedophiles begin their sexual abusive behaviors before the age of 12. Seventy-five percent of all perpetrators begin offending before the age of 13.

Some experts say that incestuous parents often love their children. However, those parents put their sexual intimacy needs before those of the children. Sometimes this is due to a crisis in their lives or because boundaries get confused or unclear. The average length of an incestuous relationship is three years; it is rarely a one-time occurrence.

Child Sexual Assault: The Perpetrator

Offenders are not usually strangers to children. According to the National Clearinghouse, approximately 90% of offenders are known to the child/ren. In addition, a child is 3 times more likely to be molested by a recognized, trusted adult than by a stranger. 50% of child victims are molested in their own homes or in the offenders home.

29% of offenders are relatives; 60% are acquaintances; and only 11% are strangers. It has been calculated that the chances of getting caught for child molestation are approximately 3%. Fewer than 1% of offenders are arrested, convicted and imprisoned.

Studies recently found t80% of incestuous fathers in a sex offender treatment program were sexually abused as children, but did not report the abuse. 49% of incest offenders who molest girls within the family, molest girls outside the family as well. Of those incest offenders who molest boys within the family, 61% molest females outside the family and 68% molest boys outside the family.