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Workshop on the international epidemiology of sexual abuse at the WHO Violence and Injury Prevention and Disability 5th Milestones Meeting, 6-7 September 2011

Cape Town, South Africa, 5 September 2011 - The UBS Optimus Foundation convened a workshop on the international epidemiology of sexual abuse before the WHO 5th Violence and Injury Prevention and Disability Milestones Meeting in Cape Town on 5 September 2011.

In 2008, the Foundation has initiated the Optimus Study with the goal to systematically map child sexual abuse in a number of countries. While establishing a reliable epidemiological database in most countries still presents an enormous challenge both methodologically and financially, the situation becomes even more difficult when the task is to compare data internationally.

The workshop brought together a number of leading scholars who have been active in epidemiological studies of sexual abuse in a number of countries in four different continents. It offered an opportunity to exchange experiences on how to design epidemiological studies on sexual abuse with the aim of international comparability in mind, particularly focusing on methodological issues as well. 

Statements on the workshop

James Mercy, CDC, Atlanta
"The studies presented at this helpful workshop provide a lot of information on an issue which not only is a problem in itself, but forms the background for a much wider range of public health problems."

Gordon Phaneuf, Child Welfare League Canada
"We're waiting for years for a Foundation to step up and support this work, the sort of research that UBSOF is supporting is really timely." 

Andy Dawes, University of Cape Town
"An outstanding result of this workshop is that it raises awareness that child sexual abuse needs to be understood in the context of other forms of victimization, i.e. ‘poly-victimization’."

Peter Donnelly, University of St Andrews:
"Violence reduction as a research area has come of age." 

Interview with David Finkelhor, University of New Hampshire and chair of the Optimus Study Advisory Board here.