A total of 101 cases, which composed 18.2 percent of all child abuse cases, were examined, and adults who accompanied the children were also interviewed. Information was recorded about ethnicity, socioeconomic status, family constellation, relationship of perpetrator to the child, and reported psychosocial factors that could have contributed to the abuse. Children from Indian ethnicity were found to be more sexually abused; however, the types of sexual abuse were no different across the ethnic origins. A total of 70 of the sexually abused children came from a household with monthly earnings of $400 U.S. dollars or less. Families of Indian ethnicity was found to be the poorest group with unsatisfactory living conditions. The Chinese were the richer group with satisfactory living conditions, and the Malays were a mixed group, with approximately 66 percent living in satisfactory living conditions. Forty-nine (48.5 percent) of the children were living in a nuclear family setup, and 15 were still living in the extended family system in the same household. Of the 16 children living with stepparents, seven were sexually abused by their stepfathers. Two children were living with mothers who cohabited, and the cohabittees were the perpetrators. A total of 15 children living in the extended family system were being sexually abused compared to 49 of the children living in a nuclear family. Approximately 80 percent of the perpetrators were known to the victims. High on the list among the probable factors that contributed to the occurrence of sexual abuse was the absence of other protective adults at home. This means that the presence of the biological mother or the female caretaker is crucial in preventing sexual abuse at home; however, in this study, biological mothers were found to have colluded with a child's stepfathers to commit the act of sexual intercourse in two cases. Drug abuse and unemployment of the perpetrators was another source of concern. Whether sexual abuse occurred when the perpetrators were under the influence of drugs or otherwise was not clear. 6 tables and 16 references