Child sexual abuse is any sexual contact between a child and an adult or an older child. This includes touching of private parts, sex acts and pornography. In Maryland, if the abuse is committed by someone not providing direct care for the child, it is called child sexual assault.

As defined by Maryland State Family Law 5-701, Child Sexual Abuse:

• Means any act that involves sexual molestation or exploitation of a child by a parent or other person who has permanent or temporary care, custody, or responsibility for supervision of a child, or by any household or family member.
• Includes incest, rape, sexual offense in any degree, sodomy, or unnatural or perverted practices.

• The average age of reported victims of child sexual abuse in Baltimore City is 9 years old.
• 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 7 boys will be sexually abused before they reach the age of 18. Briere, J., Eliot, D.M. Prevalence and Psychological Sequence of Self-Reported Childhood Physical and Sexual Abuse in the General Population. Child Abuse and Neglect, 2003, 27 10.
• Almost 90% of child sexual abuse victims know their abuser; abuse by a stranger accounts for only 10% of child sexual abuse cases. Finkelhor, D. Sexually assaulted Children. In press OJJDP: Washington, D.C.
• Almost half of all sexual abuse is committed by children under the age of 18. Hunter, J.A., et al., Juvenile Sex Offenders: toward development of a typology. (2003).
• Victims of child sexual abuse are at high risk for long-term physical and emotional problems including eating disorders, obesity, depression, drug dependence, promiscuity, and prostitution.
• 88% of child sexual abuse is never reported to the authorities. Hanson, RF et. al. 1999. Factors Related to the Reporting of Child Sexual Abuse.
• Over 30% of all victims never disclose their experience to anyone.

If you were a victim of child sexual abuse, learning that your child was also abused can bring back very painful memories. Get help for yourself, too. Baltimore Child Abuse Center can provide you with a list of mental health service providers who work with sexual abuse victims.

For help call (410) 396-6147 or email info@bcaci.org.

Anyone! If a child is in danger, they need help.

To report suspected abuse in Baltimore City, call 911 or 410-361-2235

Each State designates specific agencies to receive and investigate reports of suspected child abuse and neglect. Typically, this responsibility is carried out by Child Protective Services (CPS) within a Department of Social Services, Department of Human Resources, or Division of Family and Children Services. In some States, police departments also may receive reports of child abuse or neglect.

Many States have an in-State toll-free number, listed below, for reporting suspected abuse. The reporting party must be calling from the same State where the child is allegedly being abused for the following numbers to be valid.

For States not listed, or when the reporting party resides in a different State than the child, please call Childhelp, 800-4-A-Child (800-422-4453), or your local CPS agency. (Revised 12/2002)

Alaska (AK)
800-478-4444

Arizona (AZ)
888-SOS-CHILD, (888-767-2445)

Arkansas (AR)
800-482-5964

Connecticut (CT)
800-842-2288, 800-624-5518 (TDD/hearing impaired)

Delaware (DE)
800-292-9582

Florida (FL)
800-96-ABUSE, (800-962-2873)

Illinois (IL)
800-252-2873, (From out of State, call 217-524-2606)

Indiana (IN)
800-800-5556

Iowa (IA)
800-362-2178

Kansas (KS)
800-922-5330

Kentucky (KY)
800-752-6200

Maine (ME)
800-452-1999

Maryland (MD)
800-332-6347

Massachusetts (MA)
800-792-5200

Michigan (MI)
800-942-4357

Mississippi (MS)
800-222-8000

Missouri (MO)
800-392-3738

Montana (MT)
800-332-6100

Nebraska (NE)
800-652-1999

Nevada (NV)
800-992-5757

New Hampshire (NH)
800-894-5533

New Jersey (NJ)
800-792-8610, 800-835-5510 (TDD/hearing impaired)

New Mexico (NM)
800-797-3260

New York (NY)
800-342-3720

North Carolina (NC)
Contact the appropriate County Department of Social Services for the number for Child Protective Services.

North Dakota (ND)
800-245-3736

Oklahoma (OK)
800-522-3511

Oregon (OR)
800-854-3508, ext. 2402

Pennsylvania (PA)
800-932-0313

Rhode Island (RI)
800-RI-CHILD, 800-742-4453

Texas (TX)
800-252-5400

Utah (UT)
800-678-9399

Virginia (VA)
800-552-7096

Washington (WA)
800-562-5624

West Virginia (WV)
800-352-6513

Wyoming (WY)
800-457-3659

Certain professionals in the community are mandated to report suspicions of abuse in Maryland. These professionals are known as “mandated reporters.”

The following are considered mandated reporters:

• Physicians
• Registered and Practical Nurses
• Hospital Administrators
• Health Care Providers
• Dentists
• Mental Health Professionals
• Education Professionals
• Principals, Teachers, Guidance Counselors, School Social Workers
• Police Officers
• Camp Counselors and Administrators
• Members of the Clergy

For health practitioners, police officers, educators, and human service workers (“educator or human service worker” means “any professional employee of any correctional, public, parochial or private educational, health, juvenile service, social or social service agency, institution, or licensed facility”, and specifically includes any teacher, counselor, social worker, caseworker, or probation or parole officer) acting in a professional capacity, an oral report must be made as soon as possible (to the entities noted above), and a written report must be submitted to the local department of social services within 48 hours (with a copy of the written report submitted to the local State’s Attorney in the case of suspected abuse.)

For all other persons, there are no such requirements specified, and the reports “may be oral or in writing.”

Other conditions:

Individuals who are not health practitioners, police officers, educators, or human service workers need not report suspected abuse or neglect if doing so would violate the attorney-client privilege or if the report would require disclosure of “matters communicated in confidence by a client to the client’s attorney or other information relating to the representation of the client.”

A minister of the gospel, clergyperson, or priest of an established church of any denomination is not required to report suspected abuse or neglect if:

• the report would disclose matters in relation to any confession or communication made to him or her in confidence by a person seeking his spiritual advice or consolation, and;
• the communication was made to the minister, clergyperson, or priest in a professional character in the course of discipline enjoined by the church to which the minister, clergyperson, or priest belongs and the minister, clergyperson, or priest is bound to maintain the confidentiality of that communication under canon law, church doctrine, or practice.

A mental health provider who learns of an instance of child abuse or neglect must report it, regardless of whether the person revealing the information was referred by an attorney (Md. Atty. Gen. Op. No. 90-007)

Reporting is required whenever there is reason to believe that child abuse or neglect occurred in the past, even if the alleged victim is an adult when the incident comes to light, and reporting is required even when the alleged abuser is deceased (Md. Atty. Gen. Op. No. 93-049)

Information available courtesy of RAINN.

Mandated reporters in Maryland can download this interactive form 180. With this form you can type in your information, print it out, and fax it to your local department of child protective services.

To the extent reasonably possible, the report should include the following:

• The name and home address of the child and the parent or other individual responsible for the care of the child;
• The present location of the child;
• The age of the child (or approximate age);
• Names and ages of other children in the home;
• The nature and extent of injuries or sexual abuse or neglect of the child;
• Any information relayed by the individual making the report of previous possible physical or sexual abuse or neglect;
• Information available to the individual reporting that might aid in establishing the cause of the injury or neglect;
• The identity of the individual or individuals responsible for abuse or neglect.