SEXUAL ABUSE OF BOYS IS UNDERREPORTED

While there are many studies of the risk factors and consequences of sexual abuse of girls, we lack the same comprehensive data when it comes to the sexual abuse of boys.[1] One of the main reasons that boys are less likely to report sexual abuse is because of the social stigma against homosexuality.  Boys are taught to be tough and self reliant.  Admitting to having been sexually abused in the mind of a young boy might be viewed as a confession of weakness.  Based upon the experience of our law firm, we would suggest that the statistical reports of the number of boys who are, or will be sexually abused before the age of 18, are significantly understated. As a result, we have failed to adequately respond to the needs of the abuse victims.  

            Some current studies suggest that one in six boys has or will be abused by the time they are a teenager.  [2]   Because boys are less likely to report abuse, these numbers are skewed down. From our own experience, the ratio of sexually abused boys to girls is significantly higher for boys.  One might argue that this is more a reflection of the experience within institutions our firm has or is suing on behalf of sexual abuse survivors than what is occurring in the general population.  We would disagree.   In our experience, in cases involving religious institutions (Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist or Jewish), the overwhelming number of victims are boys.  Members of the Catholic Hierarchy, and indeed the Holy itself have attributed this statistic to a problem with "homosexual" priests.  Yet the same statistic holds true in the other Christian denominations and in some Orthodox Jewish communities where the perpetrator is married and there is no evidence that he has engaged in homosexual behavior with anyone other than the boy child. Certainly, cases involving the Boy Scouts are almost exclusively male with male scoutmasters who are often family men from the local neighborhood, church or school.  Clearly then, this is not a "homosexual" response.   

Why then, one must ask, would the experience in the general population be so different?  We would suggest that the experience may not be so different at all. The disparity may lie in the reporting.  In general, most sexual abuse of children is inflicted by someone the child knows, like a family member or close family friend.  Over the past decades, sexual abuse of girls has been widely studied.  Some suggest because of this, we as a society are more aware of the risk factors and the prevalence of sexual abuse of girls.[3] This may tend to skew the statistics more towards girls than boys.  Indeed, some statistics suggest that one in four girls is or will be sexually abused before the age of 18.[4] Most of these studies are more than a decade old and do not account for the exposure within the past decade of the depth and breadth of child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church of the United States, and other institutions where the overwhelmingly number of victims are male.  Once we add this data to the mix, we believe that the relative number of boys to girls who have been sexually abused will be much closer than most currently believe to be the case. 

The significance of this discussion is to ultimately suggest that we as a society need to do a better job of focusing attention on the risk factors to boys and our response.  Parents, teachers and mental health providers need to become more attuned to the post-abuse behaviors exhibited by boys who have been abused.  Boys are not as likely to report, and need someone to help them realize that it's not their fault, it does not mean that they are homosexual, and it's ok to get help.