Following a study of sexually abused children, those who had been abused had more symptoms than those who had not. Fears, post-traumatic stress, behavior problems, sexual behavior, and low self-esteem were most often reported.
But no single symptom was present in most abused children.
Social Science
Old Enough to Marry, Too Young to Leave
On July 16, 2026, Congress introduced the Child Marriage Prevention Act (H.R. 9758, S. 5060). The bill would create a national commission to study the issue, order a federal report on its harms, reward states raising the marriage age with Violence Against Women Act funds, ban child marriage on federal property like military bases, direct the Attorney General to draft a model law, and require that both parties to a marriage-based visa petition be at least 18. Notice that the bill cannot outlaw child marriage nationwide because marriage law is under state control. The federal government can exert pressure, but ending the practice will happen gradually, state by state.
What Is Polyvictimization, and Why Does It Matter?
By Dr. Suruchi Sood Think about a child who is having a hard time. We often ask one question: “What happened to them?” And we look for a single answer. Maybe they were bullied. Maybe they saw violence at home. But for many children, the real answer is not one thing....
When the Body Remembers: The Physical Health Toll of Childhood Sexual Abuse
Over the past 30 years, research has linked childhood sexual abuse to many adult health problems, with similar findings across countries and study types.
Twice Wounded Part 3: What Can Actually Be Done: Three Things the System Could Change Right Now
This essay explores how interviews are conducted, how courtrooms treat child witnesses, and how legal professionals learn about trauma. This blog takes each of those in turn, what the research says works, where it has been tried, and what still stands in the way.
TWICE WOUNDED Part 2 of the Twice Wounded Series Why Retraumatization Happens
In part two of this series, we examined what happens to children who testify about sexual abuse, including nightmares, behavioral changes, and long-lasting harm. Now, we must ask why. Why does a process designed to deliver justice often cause more harm? The answer lies in two places: inside the child’s brain and within the structure of the legal system. When these two areas interact, the damage is not accidental; it’s built in.
TWICE WOUNDED
What really happens to children who testify about sexual abuse?
and what the research says we must do differently
This piece examines that evidence in three parts: what retraumatization in the courtroom looks like and what it costs; why it happens, from the neuroscience of traumatic memory to the structural features of adversarial legal proceedings; and what we already know how to do differently because the research that documents the problem also clearly points toward solutions.
The evidence is clear, but the real question is whether we are willing to act on it.
Grooming and Prevention: It Takes More Than Telling Kids to “Speak Up”
Grooming can be defined by examining it through three social-ecological levels: micro, meso, and macro. Each level can either make grooming easier or much more difficult.
Digital Media and Child Sexual Abuse: Foe, Friend, or an Unfinished Fight?
Our Social Science Director, Dr. Suruchi Sood, Outlines the Facts of CSAM