Peer-reviewed article
Mapping the global prevalence and socioecological drivers of child sexual abuse: a systematic review and synthesis.
Adhikari B, Dahal A, Mishra A, Mshamu S, Shrestha N et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This systematic review of 332 studies examined the global prevalence and causes of child sexual abuse (CSA). Non-contact abuse was reported by a median of 57% of children surveyed, while contact abuse affected 14.9% of girls and 6% of boys on average. Risk was highest in sub-Saharan Africa and among vulnerable groups like Indigenous children and orphans. The authors identify causes at multiple levels, from individual shame to weak legal systems, and recommend multilevel prevention approaches.
Key points
- Median prevalence of non-contact CSA was 57.0% globally (range: 31.1%-80.0%)
- Contact CSA prevalence was higher in females (14.9%) than males (6.0%)
- Sub-Saharan Africa had the highest contact CSA prevalence (25.5%), Latin America and Caribbean the lowest (8.5%)
- Vulnerable groups—Indigenous children (39.2%), orphans (37.9%), incarcerated youth (31.1%)—faced substantially higher risk
- Risk factors operate at multiple levels: individual (shame, stigma), familial (poor supervision), institutional (lack of safeguards), and societal (weak legal frameworks)
Limitations
The review synthesises reported prevalence, which likely underestimates true CSA due to non-disclosure, underreporting and differences in definitions across studies. The variation in prevalence estimates is very wide, reflecting differences in study populations, methodologies and case definitions rather than true geographic or demographic variation.
Abstract
Introduction Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a widespread global health concern with lasting impacts. CSA is multifactorial and layered, and interventions to tackle CSA require an analysis of the key contributing factors. The main objective of this study was to explore global prevalence estimates of CSA and key contributing factors. Methods We systematically searched PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science for studies reporting lifetime prevalence of contact (eg, inappropriate touching or sexual acts) and non-contact (eg, exposure to sexual content or ill-intended conversations) CSA. Of 5493 articles screened, 332 met inclusion criteria. Prevalence data were stratified by population, region and abuse type. Risk factors were synthesised thematically using a socioecological framework. Results Median prevalence of reported non-contact CSA was 57.0% (range: 31.1%-80.0%). Contact CSA prevalence was higher among females (median: 14.9%, range: 2.2%-40.2%) than males (median: 6.0%, range: 0.6%-21.2%). Regional variations were notable, with sub-Saharan Africa reporting the highest contact CSA prevalence (median: 25.5%) and Latin America and the Caribbean the lowest (median: 8.5%). Vulnerable groups, including Indigenous children (median: 39.2%), orphans (37.9%) and the incarcerated (31.1%), faced higher risk. Risk factors spanned individual (shame, stigma), familial (poor supervision, dysfunction), institutional (lack of safeguards) and societal (weak legal frameworks, normalisation of abuse) levels. Conclusions Prevalence of CSA was globally high, with 14 in 100 females reporting having experienced CSA. Multilevel interventions, particularly strengthening family supervision and institutional safeguarding, legal accountability and community awareness, are critical for the prevention of CSA.