Reports of Child Sexual Abuse on the Rise During COVID-19 Pandemic

According to reports by multiple news agencies, there has been a rise in the number of reports of child sexual abuse since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sexual abuse of any kind is abhorrent, particularly when it happens to children. In order to understand why child sexual abuse cases may be rising, we need to understand the nature of this type of abuse and analyze who the perpetrators usually are in these cases.

How do we know child sexual abuse cases are rising? 

According to a report by NPR, the number of minors contacting the National Sexual Assault Hotline to report abuse is rising rapidly. This information has been provided by the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), which operates the hotline.

RAINN says that by the end of March, at which point most of the country was under some sort of quarantine or stay at home order, there was a 22% increase in monthly calls to the hotline age of 18. For the first time in the history of the National Sexual Assault Hotline, more than half of their calls were coming from minors.

Of the individuals who contacted the hotline in March, 67% of them identified the perpetrator of their sexual abuse as a family member, and 79% of the respondents said that they were currently living with that perpetrator.

“As a result of looking at the information that we had from those sessions, it was clear that the abuse was escalating in both frequency and severity,” said Camille Cooper, RAINN’s vice president of public policy. “So a lot of the kids that were coming to the hotline were feeling pretty vulnerable and traumatized. And it was a direct result of COVID-19, because they were quarantined with their abuser. The abuser was now abusing them on a daily basis.”

The new information lines up with previous data about child sex abuse

According to statistics provided by RAINN, approximately one out of every 10 children will be sexually abused before they turn 18, and 93% of child sexual abuse victims know their abusers. Data shows that 59% of child sexual abusers are acquaintances of the child, and 34% are family members.

The question moving forward is, what happens now? RAINN and other child welfare organizations or lobbying for solutions to make it easier for children to report abuse. Cooper, the VP of RAINN’s public policy, says that the child welfare systems across the country are still operating, and an official report of current or ongoing abuse will indeed trigger an investigation. If necessary, the child will be removed from a home where abuse is occurring.

Speak to an attorney about your case

If you have been the victim of child sexual abuse, or you know somebody who has, you may need to contact an attorney. At the Law Office of Rachel Ambats, PLLC, you can count on having a compassionate and experienced New York child sexual abuse attorney by your side. Attorney Ambats wants to help victims secure compensation for their claims regardless of whether or not the perpetrators of the abuse are charged criminally and convicted. This includes compensation for:

·       Medical expenses

·       Loss of income

·       Pain and suffering

·       Punitive damages

·       Infliction of emotional distress

Let the Law Office of Rachel Ambats, PLLC get to work on your behalf today. Contact us for a free consultation.