Researchers investigated the prevalence of child sexual abuse in foster care and residential care facilities and found that 3.5 children per 1,000 had been victims of child sexual abuse. The researchers asked the following questions: (1) What was the overall year prevalence of child sexual abuse in out-of-home care in 2010? (2) Did the year prevalence of child sexual abuse in residential care differ from the year prevalence in foster care? (3) Did the prevalence estimates of the current study differ from the year prevalence of child sexual abuse in the general Dutch population? and (4) What were the characteristics of victims and perpetrators of child sexual abuse in out-of-home care?
The researchers used a random sample of adolescents in residential and foster care reporting on their own experiences with child sexual abuse, and professionals working with children between 0 and 17 years of age in out-of-home care reporting on cases of child sexual abuse. Both the professionals and the adolescents were selected from four types of care facilities in the Netherlands: (1) foster care, (2) regular residential care, (3) secure residential care, and (4) juvenile detention.
A total of 161 children were victims of child sexual abuse, and the majority of victims experienced child sexual abuse with physical contact. The overall prevalence estimate of child sexual abuse in foster care was 49 children or 2.0 per 1,000 children. In residential care, the overall prevalence of child sexual abuse was 112 children or 5.0 per 1,000 children. Observed children in residential care were on average substantially older (89% were 12 years or older) than children in foster care (32% were 12 years or older).
