AN ESTIMATE OF THE INCIDENCE OF SEXUAL OFFENSES INVOLVING CHILDREN IS NEEDED TO COMBAT THE RESISTANCE OF COMMUNITIES TO FACING THE PROBLEM. AVAILABLE SOURCES OF DATA ARE LIMITED BUT THE INCIDENCE OF THESE OFFENSES HAS BEEN REPORTED FOR FOUR DIFFERENT LOCALES OF VARIOUS SIZES AND LOCATIONS: THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT, AND THE CITIES OF BROOKLYN, (N.Y.), MINNEAPOLIS (MINN.), AND WASHINGTON (D.C.). THE TYPE OF OFFENSES COVERED UNDER THE TERM SEXUAL OFFENSE INCLUDE FORCIBLE RAPE, NONFORCIBLE RAPE, SODOMY, INCEST, AND INDECENT LIBERTIES (A WIDE VARIETY OF ACTS SUCH AS GENITAL EXHIBITION, RECTAL STIMULATION, AND OBSCENE LANGUAGE). THE OVERALL INDEX OF SEXUAL OFFENSES, WITHOUT REGARD TO CRIME TYPE, MAY BE CALCULATED AT 74,725 REPORTED OFFENSES FOR THE NATION PER YEAR. ADDITION OF UNREPORTED CRIMES, IF CALCULATED TO BE 3.5 TIMES GREATER THAN THE NUMBER OF REPORTED CRIMES AS MANY EXPERTS SUGGEST, COULD DRIVE THE FIGURE UP TO ABOUT 336,200 SEXUAL OFFENSES PER YEAR. THIS NATIONAL ESTIMATE REVEALS THAT THE PROBLEM IS IMMENSE, ALTHOUGH THE NUMBER OF 'SERIOUS' VICTIMIZATIONS (FORCIBLE RAPE, SODOMY, AND INCEST) IS A RELATIVELY SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE WHOLE. LIMITATIONS OF THE DATA ARE DISCUSSED. THE FACT THAT THE FINAL NUMBER OF REPORTED SEXUAL CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN IS SMALLER THAN THAT CALCULATED IN AN EARLIER STUDY MIGHT BE DUE TO THE FACT THAT HOMOSEXUAL OFFENSES AGAINST YOUNG BOYS ARE NOT ACCURATELY REPRESENTED. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (DAG)