This article examines the possibilities and limits of the epidemiological and human rights approaches to child sexual abuse (CSA). To this end, it examines epidemiological literature as to prevalence and risk factors and concludes that CSA occurs on a large scale, primarily affecting youths, especially girls; it is not occasional or isolated in the life of people and communities and its determinants are largely unknown. The article discusses the problems of this production and indicates possible reasons for its limitations. Analysis from the human rights standpoint included an examination of the intersubjective nature of the law and of the nature of the legal sphere (private or public) and the powers that determine the compliance of individuals with a given legal rule. From this angle, one concludes that the right to grow and to live free of sexual molestation during childhood is a right pertaining to freedom and integrity (private autonomy). There are explicit mechanisms in Brazil's laws forbidding such behavior, but they have little efficacy and do not effectively cover most of the population. The operating conditions of Brazilian law cause children to become socially vulnerable to CSA. The conclusions are that these approaches, although distinct, can complement each other, so as to foster intersectorial activity for the eradication of CSA.
Child sexual abuse; Epidemiology; Human Rights
