A Call for Research Funding to Support Early Identification of Child Sexual Abuse

Child sexual abuse (CSA) remains a significant challenge for children in the United States. Despite this, research focused on identifying CSA among children aged 5 and under is underfunded compared to other child health issues and remains a gap in the field. This paper provides five recommendations to support early identification of CSA, including a central call for research to advance key areas such as forensic interview approaches, the use of medical histories, recognition of sexual behaviors, children's knowledge and emotional responses, and the development of trauma-informed screening protocols. The remaining focused recommendations emphasize the need to strengthen investigative protocols, build community-research partnerships, conduct comparative analyses to identify best practices, and develop innovative strategies for translating and disseminating findings - each reinforcing and amplifying the impact of targeted research investment.