Replies

Part of the problem here is that the basic statistics of child molestation are never reported. What percentage of men are child molesters? One tenth of a percent? Five percent? Specific numbers would give people a much better idea of the appropriate level of suspicion to apply to male strangers. I want good quality data, not feminist fantasy.

Like the men quoted in the article, I dislike having to avoid kids in public, but I carefully do so. I avoid even looking at kids for more than a few seconds. Too many people I have met, particularly liberal women, seem to regard all males as potential molesters. In post-feminist America, some forms of misandry still flourish.

What percentage of men are child molesters? One tenth of a percent? Five percent? Specific numbers would give people a much better idea of the appropriate level of suspicion to apply to male strangers.

Good questions but my understanding is that molesters are far more likely to be familiar than to be strangers. Makes sense when you consider who can gain access to the kids.

Center for Sex Offender Management
A Project of the Office of Justice Programs
U.S. Department of Justice
http://www.csom.org/pubs/mythsfacts.html

Myth:
“All sex offenders are male.”

Fact:
The vast majority of sex offenders are male. However, females also commit sexual crimes.

In 1994, less than 1% of all incarcerated rape and sexual assault offenders were female (fewer than 800 women) (Greenfeld, 1997). By 1997, however, 6,292 females had been arrested for forcible rape or other sex offenses, constituting approximately 8% of all rape and sexual assault arrests for that year (FBI, 1997). Additionally, studies indicate that females commit approximately 20% of sex offenses against children (ATSA, 1996). Males commit the majority of sex offenses but females commit some, particularly against children.

Myth:
“Most sexual assaults are committed by strangers.”

Fact:
Most sexual assaults are committed by someone known to the victim or the victim’s family, regardless of whether the victim is a child or an adult.

Adult Victims:

Statistics indicate that the majority of women who have been raped know their assailant. A 1998 National Violence Against Women Survey revealed that among those women who reported being raped, 76% were victimized by a current or former husband, live-in partner, or date (Tjaden and Thoennes, 1998). Also, a Bureau of Justice Statistics study found that nearly 9 out of 10 rape or sexual assault victimizations involved a single offender with whom the victim had a prior relationship as a family member, intimate, or acquaintance (Greenfeld, 1997).

Child Victims:

Approximately 60% of boys and 80% of girls who are sexually victimized are abused by someone known to the child or the child’s family (Lieb, Quinsey, and Berliner, 1998). Relatives, friends, baby-sitters, persons in positions of authority over the child, or persons who supervise children are more likely than strangers to commit a sexual assault.

Myth:
“Sexual offense rates are higher than ever and continue to climb.”

Fact:
Despite the increase in publicity about sexual crimes, the actual rate of reported sexual assault has decreased slightly in recent years.

The rate of reported rape among women decreased by 10% from 1990 to 1995 (80 per 100,000 compared to 72 per 100,000) (Greenfeld, 1997). In 1995, 97,460 forcible rapes were reported to the police nationwide, representing the lowest number of reported rapes since 1989.

More recently, when examining slightly different measures, it appears that rates have continued to drop. The arrest rate for all sexual offenses (including forcible rape and excluding prostitution) dropped 16% between 1993 and 1998. In 1998, 82,653 arrests were logged for all sexual offenses, compared to 97,955 arrests in 1993 (Federal Bureau of Investigations, 1997 and 1998).