The problem of child sexual abuse has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years. The American media have reported numerous cases in which persons in positions of trust—including day care providers, clergymen, and scout leaders—have been accused (and in some cases convicted) of molesting children under their care. Many of these charges have been made by adults who claim to have recovered repressed memories of abuse they were subjected to as children. Other widely reported stories have involved children being abused—and sometimes murdered—by convicted child molesters newly released from prison. In addition, pedophiles have reportedly lured child victims into abusive situations via the Internet. Commentators point to such developments as evidence that the problem of child sexual abuse in the United States is alarmingly serious.

On the other hand, some researchers and social critics, while agreeing that child...