Op ed: Child Sexual Abuse... the Silent Epidemic in Our Community

By Shanna Malott


Child sexual abuse is an issue that plagues the lives of 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys before their 18th birthday. Think about the number of children in your child’s classroom, the number of children that attend your church, the number of children involved in your child’s extra-curricular activities and how many of those children may be silently bearing the burden of child sexual abuse. Unfortunately, we continue to live in a society where child sexual abuse is a subject that is not talked about and as a result many children keep the abuse a secret, or if they do tell they aren’t believed.

Do you know the facts of child sexual abuse?
• 30-40% of children are abused by family members
• As many as 60% are abused by people the family trusts
• Nearly 40% are abused by older or larger children
• Approximately 40% of sex offenders report being sexually abused as children
• 70% of sex offenders have between 1 and 9 child victims; 20-25% have 10 to 40 victims; and serial molesters may have as many as 400 victims in their lifetime

The impact of child sexual abuse takes an emotional toll on victims, way beyond anything that most of us, who have not experienced sexual abuse, can imagine. Victims of child sexual abuse are more likely to become teenage parents, to engage in prostitution, to develop eating disorders, and to use substances to help numb the pain and memories.

The impact is costly, not just emotionally for the victim, but financially for society as well. The impact of child sexual abuse impacts us all, whether we are directly connected to the abuse or not:

• In Indiana, the direct and immediate costs of child sexual abuse are nearly $48 million dollars annually.
• Except for murder, child sexual abuse is the most expensive victim crime in the US.
• The immediate and tangible costs of intervention and treatment for a single incident of substantiated child sexual abuse are $14,345.
• In Indiana, the direct and immediate costs of child sexual abuse are nearly $48 million dollars annually.

Is preventing and reducing child sexual abuse worth investing in? The answer is yes. It only costs $10.53 to train an adult to improve their child-protective behaviors. Research suggests that the average trained adult will better protect at least 10 children from sexual abuse in the year after training. The money saved by preventing just one substantiated case of child sexual abuse would pay for prevention training for 1,362 adults; resulting in 13,620 children better protected from abuse.

The Marion County Commission on Youth (MCCOY) feels that an educated and vigilant adult community is the best resistance against child sexual abuse. Through the Stewards of Children training program, a revolutionary sexual abuse prevention program that educates adults to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse and motivates them to take courageous action, MCCOY will train organizations and businesses that serve, impact or come into contact with children and youth.

Protection requires action and MCCOY, Prevent Child Abuse, Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital and other partners are providing ways that you can act:

• Attend the Prevent NOW! Meeting on Sept. 27 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at United Way, Room D
• Recruit other groups to attend the Stewards of Children training
• Make a financial contribution to sponsor the cost of the training materials ($10 per person)
• Hand out the 7 Steps to Protecting Children booklets to someone you know

To learn more about the Prevent NOW! Meeting, Stewards of Children training program and how you can take action to end child sexual abuse, visit www.mccoyouth.org, or contact Shanna Malott at shanna.malott@mccoyouth.org or 317-921-1233.