Youth Victims of Sexual Assault Known to Law Enforcement

• In Event: Sexual Offenses By and Against Youth: What We Know From Official Data

Abstract

Few national data collections address the issue of sexual assault against young children. The National Crime Victimization Survey asks persons age 12 and older about their victimization experiences, but youth under age 12 are not represented in this collection. Conversely, data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) supports detailed descriptions of sexual assaults of very young children that were reported to law enforcement agencies. NIBRS data provides demographic details on victims, as well as victim injury, weapon presence, time of day, the relationship between the victim and the offender, and the victim’s perceptions of offenders’ characteristics. Four NIBRS offenses combine to form sexual assault: rape, sodomy, sexual assault with an object, and fondling. With more than 14,000 participating law enforcement departments, NIBRS data can help fill critical information needs about sexual assaults against the very young.

Author

• Charles Puzzanchera, National Center for Juvenile Justice