FAILING OUR FUTURE: Responding to the sexual abuse of children

Abstract

The flood of media coverage over the past year focused attention on the horror of child rape. But for those working in the field, sexual abuse of children is not a new problem. What is worrying to service providers is the massive increase in the number of reported cases, the decrease in the average age of both victims and offenders, the escalation of the use of force, the number of gang rapes, and the number of children victims who are HIV positive. This article considers the trends and possible solutions.