The economic costs of child sexual abuse in Canada: a preliminary analysis

This paper describes a study of the economic costs attributable to child sexual abuse in Canada for the 1997-98 fiscal year. The preliminary cost estimate of child sexual abuse in Canada exceeds $3.6 billion dollars annually. This includes both public and private costs across four policy areas: health, social/public services, justice, and education/research and employment. These estimates have important policy implications in the area of child sexual abuse. The effectiveness of remedies, and options for new initiatives, policies and programs can be further evaluated using these economic calculations.