A Bibliometric Overview of Global Studies on Sexual Violence Against Children

Sexual violence against children is any form of sexual behavior or action carried out by an adult or an older child toward a child, whether through coercion, manipulation, or threats. Worldwide studies on child sexual violence have revealed a steadily increasing trend in terms of complexity, prevalence, and worldwide attention. This study aims to trace global trends in the problem of sexual violence against children. Global research patterns on child sexual violence, especially among children in elementary school, are mapped via the bibliometric analysis approach. Bibliographic information was gathered from Scopus database. Journal articles, literature reviews, and conference proceedings were among the publications examined. Software such as VOSviewer, Bibliometrix, and CiteSpace were then used to analyze the data to assess temporal patterns, author-institution links, and the discovery of recurrent research themes. A total of 9,038 documents were selected from an initial dataset of 12,463 and analyzed using VOSviewer and Publish or Perish (PoP). While there have been fluctuations in recent years, the overall number of publications increased by 18.94% between 2020 and 2024. Network analysis of research topics identified six distinct clusters, each encompassing interconnected themes. The most frequently addressed topics include sexual violence, violence against women, child sexual abuse, trauma from domestic violence, and pedophilia. The United States and the United Kingdom remain the top contributors, while countries such as Indonesia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh also play significant roles. Topics with potential for further research include major depressive disorder, asylum seekers, and drug use. These findings provide valuable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, offering opportunities to contribute to the prevention of child sexual violence and the creation of a safe and supportive environment for children.