Quebec population’s understanding of the problem of sexual abuse toward children 

On June 12, the Foundation released the results of an annual survey revealing the Québec population’s understanding regarding the problem of sexual abuse toward children. A major finding of the survey is that false beliefs still remain concerning acts perpetrated by the abuser, children’s reactions and ignorance of resources.

Underestimation of the scale of the sexual abuse problem 
 
• 65.7% responded “True” to the following statement: less than 5% of adults report having been sexually abused during childhood. 
• This means that 7 out of 10 adults underestimate the scale of the problem.
• Results of other recent surveys: 16% of adults reported having experienced sexual abuse in childhood.    

Reporting sexual abuse

Reasonable Motive 
88.4% of adults know that, in Québec, any person who has a reasonable motive to believe that a child is sexually abused has a legal obligation to make a report to the DYP.

Without solid proof 
• 22.6% are unaware that it is not necessary to half solid proof to report sexual abuse to the DYP (17% false; 5.6% don't know).
• This means that a strong majority know they must report but nearly 1 person out of 4 believes "it requires proof", or doesn't know "that it is not necessary to have proof". 

False beliefs about locations of sexual abuse 

• 68.4% of respondents know that a majority of sexual abuse toward children does not happen on the street or at school. 
• 28.5%, or 1 adult out of 4, believes that the most likely places for sexual abuse to happen are on the street or at school.

False beliefs about child provocation  

• 67.8% of respondents do not believe that, in a sense, young children elicit sexual abuse by their affectionate behaviour.
• 28%, or 1 adult out of 4, thinks that a child may provoke sexual abuse through behaviour. 

False beliefs about a child’s reactions 

• 66.7% know that during sexual aggression the usual reaction of children is not to resist with force, cry for help or try to run away. 
• 27.5%, or 1 adult out of 4, believes that children resist with force, cry out or try to run away.

False beliefs about the nature of acts committed by the aggressor 

• 36.2% of respondents know that the most common forms of sexual abuse toward children do not involve anal or vaginal relations. 
• 49.2%, or 1 adult out of 2, believes that sexual abuse toward children most of the time involves anal or vaginal relations. 

False belief about false allegations

• 35.5% believe that children who change their version of a sexual aggression probably lied the first time. 
• 1 adult out of 3 rather tends to believe that a child is lying if he or she changes his or her version of the facts.

Ignorance of resources 

Question: Do you know of an organization that comes to the assistance of child maltreatment victims?

Answer: 56.8% of respondents, or 6 adults out of 10, haven’t even minimal knowledge of an organization that assists child maltreatment victims.

Methodology

• Telephone survey conducted by the Écho firm between March 5 and April 12, 2007
• Non-stratified probabilistic sample representative of the Québec population 
• 1,000 respondents age 18 and over
• Margin of error: 3%
• Rate of response: 30%
• Respondent distribution: 53% female, 47% male