Author(s): Missouri’s Task Force on the Prevention of Sexual Abuse of Children
Published: December 2012
Report Intro/Brief:
“Sexual abuse of children is a “silent epidemic” throughout Missouri and the rest of the United States, according to the report’s authors, who reference studies indicating as many as a quarter of U.S. girls and 16 percent of boys experience sexual abuse during childhood.
The report recommends the expansion of community-based sexual abuse prevention education programs, and supplying children with age-appropriate information regarding physical boundaries and inappropriate touching. The report addresses the specific need for sexual abuse education for children with disabilities and children that live in lower-income homes, as both demographics are at higher risk for abuse than the general population.
The Task Force encourages the expansion of home-visiting programs involving trained professionals and additionally recommends that all schools and organizations serving young people should have child sexual abuse prevention policies in place.”
-James Swift of YouthToday
