Child sexual abuse in India: A systematic review

Abstract

ObjectiveChild Sexual Abuse (CSA) is a pressing human right issue and public health concern. We conducted a systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies published in the past decade on CSA in India to examine the distribution of the prevalence estimates for both genders, to improve understanding of the determinants and consequences of CSA and identify gaps in the current state of research.MethodsFor this systematic review, we searched electronic literature databases (PubMed, POPLINE, and PsycINFO) for articles published in English on Child Sexual Abuse in India between January 1, 2006 and January 1, 2016 using 55 search terms. Data were extracted from published articles only.FindingsFifty-one studies met inclusion criteria for the review. The review indicates that prevalence rates of CSA is high among both boys and girls in India. Due to heterogeneity of study designs and lack of standardised assessments, reported prevalence estimates varied greatly among both genders in different studies. There is a need to conduct representative studies using a validated instrument to obtain valid epidemiological estimates. Commercial sex workers, men who have sex with men, and women with psychiatric disorders were at higher risks for sexual abuse during childhood. In addition, the synthesis of qualitative data across studies included in the review suggests that exposure and perpetration of CSA is a multifaceted phenomenon grounded in the interplay between individual, family, community, and societal factors. The review indicates poor physical, behavioural, social, and mental health outcomes of CSA in India. We conclude with a research agenda calling for quantitative and qualitative studies to explore the determinants and perpetration of child sexual abuse in India from an ecological lens. This research agenda may be necessary to inform the development of a culturally tailored primary prevention and treatment strategy for CSA victims in India.

Violência sexual contra crianças e adolescentes: uma análise da prevalência e fatores associados

“…It is also worth noting that female children and adolescents were more likely to experience sexual violence, corroborating several other studies in the literature (13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24) and reinforcing the evidence regarding the fragility of females in gender relations, whether arising from the superior physical strength of men, the inequality in gender relations and vulnerability, or the risk of women experiencing violence, especially if they are children and adolescents (7) .…”

“…The prevalence of sexual violence against children and adolescents was similar to other data in the literature, unveiling the magnitude of this problem and its higher occurrence among females (13)(14)(15) . Data published by the WHO, based on studies carried out in regions such as Africa, Asia and Australia, estimated that the prevalence of sexual abuse by gender was 18% for girls and 8% for boys (16) .…”

“…There was a low proportion and reduced chance of sexual revictimization, unlike other studies which have found a higher risk of recurrence of sexual violence among children and adolescents, since the proximity between aggressor and victim is a factor that makes it difficult to identify violence and the lack of severe punishments associated with the protection of the aggressor by family members contribute to the recurrence of the event (15,22,26) .…”

Prevalence and Patterns of Child Sexual Abuse in Selected Countries of Asia and Africa: A Review of Literature

“…Luo and colleagues 2007 found higher rates of abuse among Chinese men (5.1%) compared to women (3.3%) and commented that the observed pattern contrasted with the typical pattern in the west which has a higher prevalence for women than for men and found that the prevalence for Chinese men was within the 3% -10% prevalence for men in the west and that the prevalence for Chinese women was far lower than the typical 10% -20% for women in the west (Luo et al, 2008). This is also the case in some studies in India were young boys were found to have similar and sometimes higher prevalence of CSA as girls (Choudhry et al, 2018). The culture within Asian communities may explain this rather Open Journal of Social Sciences untypical pattern.…”

Awareness and attitude of mothers of primary school children towards child sexual abuse in Tamil Nadu, India

“…Child sexual abuse has been linked to numerous maladaptive health behaviors, and poor social, mental and physical health outcomes throughout the lifespan. 7 Serotonin abnormalities have been reported in various studies among participants exposed to child sexual abuse. Structures such as the prefrontal cortex, superior temporal gyrus, corpus callosum, parietal lobes, hippocampus, and cerebellum were found to demonstrate volumetric and structural changes in response to the trauma of child sexual abuse.…”