Research / Child sexual abuse prevention
TOPIC
Child Sexual Abuse Prevention
We study what prevents child sexual abuse before it happens, from help for young people worried about their own behavior to measuring how often abuse occurs.
WHY IT MATTERS
Prevention starts with knowing what works, and for whom.
Most responses to child sexual abuse begin after harm has happened. Prevention research asks what stops abuse earlier: what adults, programs, and young people themselves can do.
77%
of self-reported sexual harm against youth is committed by other young people
67%
of nonconsensual sexual behavior among youth is between two adolescents.
WHAT WE’RE LEARNING
Young people reach out early
More than half of young people who contacted the WhatsOK helpline had caused, or were at risk of causing, sexual harm, and most reached out before seeking other professional help.
Youth want a voice in this research
Young people with concerns about their sexual behavior were open to taking part in research and saw it as important.
Mandates bring more reports from schools
States that required prevention education saw more child sexual abuse reports from school staff, with no drop in the share of reports that were confirmed.