Sexual abuse of boys is common, underreported, under-recognized, and under-treated,Sexual abuse of girls has been widely studied, leading to awareness of the risk factors and prevalence.Unfortunately,there have been relatively fewer studies done on sexual abuse of boys, leading toinadequate knowledge about the facts related to this topic.Some of the studies that are available have a high degree of subjectivity, poor sampling techniques, and poor designs with few control elements.
Boys are less likely than girls to report sexual abuse because of fear, the social stigma against homosexual behavior, the desire to appear self-reliant (boys grow up believing that they should not allow themselves to be harmed or talk about painful experiences) , and the concern for loss of independence.
Furthermore, evidence suggests that,one in every three incidents of child sexual abuse are not remembered by the adults who experienced them, and that the younger the child was at the time of the abuse, and the closer the relationship to the abuser, the more likely one is that the child will not be able to recall the
event.
