Sexual abuse of children

We review the characteristics of 843 cases of sexual abuse seen at the emergency department of the Hospital for Sick Children (HSC) in Toronto in 1962, 1967, and from 1970 to 1978. The children ranged in age from 23 days to 18 years, with a mean age of 9.8 years. Most (89.4%) were girls. The 174 cases seen from 1977 to 1978 were analyzed in detail. Among these, intercourse was the form of abuse in 70 (40%); molestation, in 41 (24%); and exhibitionism, in 36 (20%). Almost half (49%) of the offenses occurred in the child's or assailant's home.