Situational Review Of Child Sexual Abuse In A Low Income Country

Abstract

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is an issue of global concern. CSA has been estimated to, affect 2-62% of women and 3-16% of men as victims. The variation in percentage is dependent on the definition of CSA being used. WHO has estimated that globally nearly 40 million children upto14 years of age, suffer from various types of abuses and require medical attention and social care. This review covers the available literature on child sexual abuse (CSA) in Pakistan since 1999, using search engines Google,Pubmed, Medline and PsychINFO. Data shows thatIncidence of CSA has been increasing, with mostly acquaintances beingthe perpetrators. Based on the results recommendations are given to improve the health and well being of survivors of CSA in Pakistan. The issue requires attention by society, law enforcement, public health community, health practitioners and leadership. Poverty and illiteracy are the primary determinants of CSA.