The Epidemic of Rape and Child Sexual Abuse in the United States

"The authors clearly document the nee for special techniques when interviewing about sensitive sexual issues, and their defense of Russell's prevalence rates is convincing. Readers will gain an understanding of the impact of research methods on results and the interplay of political agendas and research interests. Extensive references as well as clear tables and figures. Highly recommended for academic collections." —Choice "This is a fascinating book which will have wide appeal to academicians and scholars in the field. Dr. Russell's outstanding reputation in the field should sell any book and this book is another example of her excellent work. . . . I offer my highest praises for this book and believe it will become an instant 'classic'." —Helen M. Eigenberg, Ph.D., Professor and Director of the School of Social and Community Services This long-awaited follow-up to Diana Russell''s landmark 1984 book Sexual Exploitation examines the many – and often conflicting – findings of studies that have since been conducted on the incidence and prevalence of rape and child sexual abuse in the United States. The wide variation in prevalence rates obtained by these studies – for example, rape rates ranging from 2.6% to 44% – has led many hostile critics to attack the high rates as misleading and alarmist. Diana E. H. Russell and Rebecca M. Bolen''s careful evaluation of 14 government- and privately-funded studies (including Russell''s own) provides a definitive statement on the realities concerning the prevalence of rape and child sexual abuse. Their evaluations consider the various definitions researchers have used for rape and child sexual assault, as well as their methodologies for collecting data. The authors also address in particular the sexual victimization statistics reported by two important U.S. government agencies, the FBI and the Bureau of Justice Statistics, both of which have reported relatively low incidence rates. This book also addresses the widely-publicized backlash criticism – from both anti-feminists and a new breed of feminist critics – claiming that high sexual assault rates are greatly exaggerated. Armed with the belief that accurate information about the magnitude of sexual assault in society is vital to the theory, prevention, and treatment of these crimes, the authors have produced a ground-breaking resource that is a must-read book for those who study, educate about, and help the women and girls who are victims of sexual assault.