Child sexual abuse is one of the most devastating violations a child can endure, and it remains far too common, far too hidden. Since 2020, Congress has allocated annual dedicated research funding in a bipartisan effort to better understand and prevent child sexual abuse. Protecting children requires the most effective policies and best practices.

For the past five years, this research funding had been managed by staff at the Division of Violence Prevention in the CDC’s Center for Injury Prevention and Control. But on April 1 of this year, virtually all of these staff were placed on administrative leave without explaining who will administer the existing funds and whether future funding is threatened.

Meanwhile, the abuse continues. In the United States, one in five American children will be sexually victimized before age 18. Abuse can be perpetrated virtually anywhere and by virtually anyone, including parents, siblings, coaches, friends, neighbors, religious leaders, teachers and strangers.

Moreover, the rapid rise of the Internet and digitalization of our world has created more points of entry into our children’s lives, as well as new forms of abuse. Research funded by the National Institute of Justice identified that 16% of U.S. children experience online sexual abuse, which is part of that one in five figure. As more and more child sexual abuse is recorded and trafficked online, today’s victims and survivors are describing an even more insidious aftermath. For some, the abuse never ends. For others, even if the abuse ends, its toll on their health and wellbeing can be long-lasting and life-altering.

Children who experience child sexual abuse share increased risks of severe mental health problems — including depression and PTSD — as well as serious physical health disorders including hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Many are also more susceptible to future harmful health behaviors, including suicide.

It is not just victims and survivors of child sexual abuse who pay a tragic personal price.

Their immediate family members and future offspring often experience harms directly related to the original abuse. In some cases, the trauma endured by a survivor may affect their ability to form healthy relationships, manage stress and parent effectively.

This can unintentionally contribute to conditions where their children are at heightened risk of experiencing abuse. Moreover, child sexual abuse costs the nation more than $9.4 billion annually in expenses and lost revenue.

Yet there have been remarkable advances in recent years. In the late 20th century, advocates, survivors and health care providers challenged the shame and stigma that historically was associated with child sexual abuse. As more and more victims and survivors came forward, we began to understand that child sexual abuse was far more prevalent in the United States than previously understood. And to see that people who offend often do so for reasons that can be prevented.

Former police officer and survivor advocate Kevin McNeil knows firsthand the importance of breaking the cycle of abuse. As a survivor and former detective, he has seen countless missed opportunities to prevent abuse — moments where intervention could have changed lives. Prevention is how we create a better tomorrow for today’s children and break the cycle of harm.

There is good news. Federally funded research has shown a decline in sexual abuse by family members and a 20% decline in sexual abuse by staff across the six largest U.S.-based youth-serving organizations. School-based prevention programs that target educational settings, online safety and problem sexual behavior by teens have shown much promise.

These findings and ongoing efforts are crucial in identifying and disseminating effective prevention strategies to keep America’s children safe.

To continue making progress, we need to protect — not interrupt — this momentum.

We fear, however, that with the elimination of the CDC’s program, America’s children are at risk of becoming collateral damage in a war they did not start, cannot fight, and yet, cannot afford to lose.

We strongly urge our national leaders to preserve federal funding for child sexual abuse prevention research. The rapidly changing nature of child sexual abuse in the 21st century requires us to stay focused on protecting America’s children now more than ever.

Elizabeth Letourneau and Luciana C. Assini-Meytin lead the MOORE Center for Preventing Child Sexual Abuse at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Warren Binford is the W.H. Lea Endowed Chair in Pediatric Law, Ethics, and Policy at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Melissa T. Merrick is the president and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America. The authors’ views are their own and not those of the Johns Hopkins University or the University of Colorado.