In the past two decades, as the result of feminist consciousness-raising, sexual abuse of children has been recognized in North America and Western Europe as a serious social problem. The testimony of victims, first in consciousness-raising groups, then in public speakouts, and finally in formal survey research, has documented the high prevalence of sexual exploitation of children. The best available data, drawn from large-scale surveys of nonclinical populations, indicate that the risk of victimization may be as high as 1 in 10 for boys (), and greater than 1 in 3 for girls (). Whether the child victim is male or female, the perpetrator is usually male. Most perpetrators are not strangers but are well known to their child victims; often they are in a position of trust or authority that affords them access and power.
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