TWO CAUSAL MODELS OF CHILD MOLESTATION ARE CONSIDERED: THE 'RANDOM VICTIM' MODEL, WHICH ASSUMES THAT THE CRITICAL ELEMENT IN THE VICTIMIZATION ENCOUNTER IS THE PRESENCE OF A POTENTIAL OFFENDER; AND THE 'CULPABLE VICTIM' MODEL, WHICH ASSIGNS SOME DEGREE OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ENCOUNTER TO THE CHILD. ANALYSIS OF THE ILLINOIS DATA INDICATES THAT FAMILY STRUCTURE, PARENTAL REGULATION OF THE CHILD'S BEHAVIOR, THE AFFECTIVE QUALITY OF THE PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP, AND THE RESPONDENT'S REPORTED LEVEL OF SEXUAL EXPERIENCES ARE RELEVANT TO SEXUAL VICTIMIZATION STATUS. A CAUSAL MODEL BASED ON THE VARIABLES SUGGEST THE FOLLOWING CONCLUSIONS: ABSENCE OF THE BIOLOGICAL FATHER HAS DIRECT EFFECT ON MOLESTATION STATUS; THE PREDOMINANT PATH OF CAUSATION IS FROM SEXUAL EXPERIENCE TO MOLESTATION; AND AFFECTIVE ESTRANGEMENT AND PARENTAL INDIFFERENCE APPARENTLY FACILITATE PRECOCIOUS SEXUAL CURIOSITY, WHICH, IN TURN, MAY LEAD TO SEXUAL VICTIMIZATION. THE DATA OFFER NO SUPPORT FOR THE RANDOM VICTIM MODEL. TABULAR DATA, A LIST OF REFERENCES, AND A COPY OF THE SURVEY INSTRUMENT ARE INCLUDED. (LKM)