Still with an incidence rate like this of 0.019, I guess nobody’s got the impetus to do follow-up of any scale.

Part of the core of the problem is an incidence rate is actually impossible to calculate.

In this particular case, for example, the fact that we know about the ordeal this girl endured at all was dependent upon a number of variables: a boy exposed himself at her school and the authorities were following up on that. Other students were asked questions in the wake of that. The girl in question went beyond the scope of the investigation and self reported the abuse she was enduring. Her claims were taken seriously. Her claims were followed up on. Her adopters were arrested. It made local news reports. The case wasn’t bargained away, but has actually come to a plea. At least in the case of the adoptive “father” he plead guilty. The adoptive “mother’s” case remains unresolved as of yet.

At any number of points in that long string of events she could have instead chosen to remain silent or her accusations could have been set aside or ignored.

We only know about this girl’s plight because it came to the point of self reporting and then in the aftermath thereof was taken seriously.

But as I pointed out in my post, follow-up is for all intents and purposes non-existent.

So what’s the actual rate?

Unknowable.

There are no statistics here. No one’s even systematically asking the question.

Still with an incidence rate like this of 0.019, I guess nobody’s got the impetus to do follow-up of any scale.