RT Article
T1 Parental Migration and Risk of Sexual Assault Against Children in Rural China
JF Crime & delinquency
VO 68
IS 4
SP 613
OP 643
A1 Chen, Xiaojin
A1 Wu, Yuning
A1 Qu, Jia
A2 Wu, Yuning
A2 Qu, Jia
LA English
YR 2022
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1798127377
AB This study investigates the difference in rates of sexual assault between left-behind children and those living with both parents in rural China and attempts to identify potential social mechanisms explaining this variation. Using data from a probability sample of middle school students in Guizhou Province, China, our study reveals that parental migration, particularly maternal and both-parent migration, significantly increases children’s risk of sexual victimization. This relationship is mediated by three intervening pathways: weakened caretaker monitoring and supervision, children’s increased engagement in risky lifestyles, and elevated exposure to general victimization. These findings highlight the urgency to develop prevention and treatment programs based on a holistic understanding of protective and risk factors for sexual abuse against left-behind children in rural China.
K1 Parental migration
K1 sexual assault
K1 Left-behind children
K1 China
DO 10.1177/0011128721989072