Child sexual abuse in Europe

A significant minority of children in Europe, between 10% and 20% as an informed scientific estimate, will be sexually assaulted during their childhood. This prolem has been reconised by child care professionals, policy makers and increasingly the public at large. Debates continue about what can be done: how best to intervene, build confidence in the child protection services (CPS), which responses work and what to do about the perpetrators. Child sexual abuse can take many forms including incest, prostitution, pornography, date rape, peer sexual violence and institutional sexual abuse: the sexual abuse of children by people who provide or live in substitute, educational or social care. All forms of child sexual abuse are linked because they involve children in sexual activity but to use the term child sexual abuse to cover all forms of sexual violence can lead to confusion as these activities are different in many ways, each requiring their own context relevant solutions. Awareness and understanding of the problem varies from country to country. In some European countries awareness of child sexual abuse has inevitably to be seen against a backdrop of transition, major-socioeconomic difficulties, organised conflict and individual trauma that has eclipsed all but day to day survival. Child care professionals were beginning to develop awareness of sexual abuse in many of these countries in the late 80's and early 90's but their struggles to get the problem onto a more public agenda had to wait until a time of greater stability. In other countries public awareness has continued to grow through high profile cases involving child abduction, murder and 'paedophiles' highlighted in the media. These extreme tragedies often detract from the more mundane, everyday experiences of child sexual abuse perpetrated carers, 'friends', parents and other people in a position of trust. Most people will agree that sexual abuse is aterrible problem, if they know enough about it, so what is standing in the way of effective solutions and why does it not appear to be reducing to any significant extent? These are important questions for all countries to address, whether they are developing new responses and initiatives or whether they are reviewing and evaluating established provision.