Child rape may be too awful for many people to think about, but it is tragically common and, we know very well, too devastating to ignore. The sad fact is that children are raped every day in this country and some of them get pregnant as a result. In fact, according to the Ohio Department of Health, in Ohio alone, 52 children 15 or younger had abortions in 2020
– and that was fewer than in years past. Keep in mind that’s the total for one state. And keep in mind that only a fraction of child rape victims get pregnant as a result of the attack.
Although this child rape was reported to police, many are not. That’s why data on child rape is hard to collect and easy to underestimate. Still, there are things we know. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
- About 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys in the United States experience child sexual abuse.
- Someone known and trusted by the child or child’s family members perpetrates 91% of child sexual abuse.
- About 80% of women who report being raped were below the age of 25 when it happened. Half of those were under the age of 18.
That’s why, for all of our history, FUTURES has worked tirelessly to prevent violence against women and children and develop programs to help heal those who are assaulted. In the last few years, we’ve worked – successfully – to help get the first-ever CDC funding designated specifically to research child sexual abuse, and to increase funding for Children Exposed to Violence and Rape Prevention and Education programs. It is a start, but it is not enough.
Please know that we continue to work to increase that funding, as well as work to apply pressure to Congress to appropriate more funds for prevention in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
Thank you for all you do, each and every day, to support this vitally important work!
With respect,
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Esta Soler
Founder & President
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