Child sexual abuse (CSA) includes all forms of sexual abuse (contact, non-contact) against people below the age of 18 years. CSA is one of the largest silent pandemic occurring in countries at all levels of development and is a significant human rights and public health issue. Devastating and long-term impacts of CSA on physical, mental and sexual health have been reported in the literature. This brief describes the experiences of CSA shared by 20-29 year old participants of the Youth in Transition study and its impact on decision making in later life.

The Youth in Transition study adopted the life course approach to understand the dynamic process of decision-making of young people. Adopting an innovative approach of collecting information using a relationship history calendar and narrative interview technique, the data collected from 1240 young adults provide important insights about the sexual health needs of this population. Based on the analysis several policy and program implications are described in the report.