By the age of 18 years, two in every five South African schoolboys report being forced to have sex, mostly by female perpetrators. A new study, reported in BioMed Central's open access journal International Journal for Equity in Health, reveals the shocking truth about endemic sexual abuse of male children that has been suspected but until now only poorly documented.

Research has shown that HIV-positive African American and Hispanic men who were sexually abused as children are particularly vulnerable to engaging in high-risk sex and experiencing depressive symptoms. Yet few HIV intervention programs exist to help them.

A University of Georgia study that is the first to systematically examine a large sample of female child molesters finds that many of them were themselves victims of sexual abuse as children.

A new study in Psychology of Women Quarterly explored the outcomes of sexual harassment on both boys and girls. While girls were harassed more frequently, boys were indirectly yet negatively affected through a school climate that tolerates the harassment of girls.

Addressing the sexual abuse in the church that caused so much damage to the Catholic Church in USA on Saturday Pope Benedict XVI called on the US clergy and nuns to work together to overcome the divisions in the church, stating that this is a time of "healing" and "purification."

Pope Benedict XVI leaves Washington Friday for New York City, marking the second leg of his inaugural U.S. tour. Several times during the visit, he has addressed the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests - a scandal that has rocked the church. On Thursday, he made history by meeting with a group of victims for the first time.

Pope Benedict XVI becomes the first Pope in the history of the Roman Catholic Church to meet with the victims of the sexual abuse and comfort them.

Adults who experienced child abuse and have variations of a gene related to stress response appear to be at greater risk of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms as adults, according to a study in the March 19 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on Genetics and Genomics.

UCLA and University of North Carolina researchers have found that women with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) who have experienced sexual and/or physical abuse may have a heightened brain response to pain that makes them more sensitive to abdominal discomfort.

Father Albert Gondek, a Catholic priest from the Diocese of Charlotte returns to ministry after being cleared of misconduct allegations.

Interpol, the largest international law enforcement organization, will post photos of suspected pedophiles on its Web site as part of child abuse investigations, Interpol's bureau in Russia said Thursday.

The United Nations is sending home from Haiti more than 100 Sri Lankan peacekeepers accused of sexual misconduct and abuse. The allegations concern paying Haitian prostitutes for sex, including underage girls.