>>18897982This argument repeatedly confuses a lack of statistically significant findings in selected samples with proof that adult–child sexual contact is harmless.
Rind et al. (1998) examined college samples, not a representative sample of all children. Its findings concerning family-environment controls cannot establish that adult–child sexual contact is harmless, and they certainly cannot establish that children possess the developmental capacity to give informed consent to adults.
The other references are similarly limited. Skaug et al. (2022) examined childhood trauma and borderline personality disorder traits, not the full range of consequences of childhood sexual abuse. Arreola et al. (2008) actually found higher substance-use and HIV-transmission risk among those reporting consensual childhood sexual experiences than among those reporting no childhood sexual experiences. Stanley et al. (2004) examined a small sample of gay and bisexual men, while Rind (2001) relied on only 26 participants with the relevant age-discrepant experiences.
Rind (2021) also examined retrospective reports of first intercourse in an Irish adult sample, the vast majority of which involved post-pubertal heterosexual intercourse. Its findings cannot be generalised to prepubescent children or every form of sexual exploitation.
Hines and Finkelhor (2007), another cited reference, explicitly described the research on adult–juvenile relationships as poorly defined and weak. That is an acknowledgement of insufficient evidence, not proof of harmlessness.
The argument about intervention is equally misleading. Jones et al. (2005) discuss the importance of trained interviewers, coordinated investigations, victim advocacy and access to mental health care. The WHO recommends avoiding unnecessary repeated interviews precisely because they can cause further distress. It also recommends considering trauma-focused treatment for children experiencing PTSD symptoms.
Finally, retrospective claims of willingness or positive feelings do not establish informed consent. A child's apparent willingness does not eliminate the adult's responsibility or the developmental and power imbalance between an adult and a child.
The wider evidence cannot support the claim that childhood sexual abuse has no adverse consequences. Hailes et al. (2019), reviewing 19 meta-analyses covering more than four million participants, found associations with 26 of 28 examined long-term outcomes.
Individual outcomes vary. Some survivors do not develop identifiable psychological disorders, and their experiences should not be dismissed. But that is not evidence that adult–child sexual relationships are safe, equivalent to adult relationships, or capable of being justified by an appeal to statistics.
