Analysis from comparable data across 16 countries shows that the majority of adolescents who have been sexually abused as children report the first occurrence of abuse to have happened before the age of 13.

This study is the first to analyse comparable representative data from national Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS) to understand the nature of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (CSEA) across 17 countries. The aim is to facilitate evidence-based policymaking and the development of targeted strategies to address CSEA effectively. By documenting the nature of CSEA we can take the first step in identifying patterns, risk and protective factors that shape early intervention and prevention measures to protect children from exploitation and abuse.

Research findings

Direct self-reports of adolescents ages 13 to 17 years old across 16 countries in Africa, Latin America and Europe found that 47% of girls and 53% of boys reported that their first experience of sexual abuse happened before age of 13.

With a different sample of young adults aged 18 – 24 years, we see an increase in reporting later adolescent experiences, especially among boys. This shows that proximity to the event may increase self-report recall in surveys and that the most frequent occurrence of first experience of CSEA is reported by 13 to 17 year olds as occurring under the age of 13.

Lifetime child sexual abuse prevalence is on average very high in this sample of countries: 17.2% for women and 8.2% for men (as reported retrospectively by persons 18 to 24 years old). However, it is important to acknowledge the existing spread across nations.