WHILE AN OVERALL DECLINE IN SEXUAL ABUSE CRIMES HAS BEEN OBSERVED SINCE 1970, STUDIES SHOW THAT THE AGE OF GIRLS TYPICALLY INVOLVED HAS DROPPED TO 7 TO 9 YEARS OF AGE, AND THAT AN ENORMOUS INCREASE OF ACTIVITY IN THE 12- TO 14-YEAR-OLD GROUP IS EVIDENT. THE CHANGES ARE GENERALLY ATTRIBUTED TO THE ACCELERATED PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE YOUNGER GENERATION. MORE GIRLS THAN FORMERLY REACT NEGATIVELY TO SEXUAL ADVANCES, BUT GIRLS WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARD SEXUAL INVOLVEMENT ARE FREQUENTLY 'ACTIVE VICTIMS.' THE CONFIGURATION FREQUENCY ANALYSIS METHOD OF KRAUTH AND LIENERT INDICATES STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT CRIME TYPES CORRESPONDING TO COMMONLY HELD VIEWS, E.G., ABUSE OF A PASSIVELY REACTING GIRL UNDER 9-YEARS-OLD BY A MAN OVER 55 FROM HER IMMEDIATE ENVIRONMENT, OR ABUSE OF A PASSIVE YOUNG CHILD VICTIMIZED BY A YOUNGER MAN KNOWN TO THE CHILD. IN ANOTHER CRIME TYPE, AN OLDER ACTIVE GIRL BECOMES INVOLVED WITH A YOUNG MAN WHOM SHE DOES NOT KNOW. NO TYPES ARE APPARENT WHICH CONNECT CHILDREN'S AGE TO THEIR ATTITUDE, BEHAVIOR DURING THE ACT, OR RELATIONSHIP TO THE OFFENDER. DURATION OF THE ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP IS ALSO RELATED TO TYPICAL FACTORS: AS IS GENERALLY HELD, ONE TYPE OF OFFENSE IS A SINGLE ACT WITH A PASSIVE CHILD BY A MAN UNKNOWN TO THE CHILD; IN A SECOND TYPE OF LONG-LASTING RELATIONSHIP, THE CHILD IS ACTIVE AND THE OFFENDER IS ACQUAINTED WITH THE CHILD. THE USEFULNESS OF CONFIGURATION FREQUENCY ANALYSIS FOR DETERMINING STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT COMBINATIONS OF CHARACTERISTICS IN SEXUAL ABUSE CRIMES IS EMPHASIZED. AN ILLUSTRATION, TABLES, AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE SUPPLIED. --IN GERMAN. (KMD)