“Children who are victims of sexual abuse keep it to themselves for years. Living with a secret is stressful and has a profound impact on their development,” says clinical psychologist Iva Bicanic. On 15 December 2025, she was appointed professor of ‘Sexual abuse of children: consequences and treatment’ at UMC Utrecht.
Sexual abuse in childhood is a serious social problem with long-term consequences for victims and those around them. At least 87% of sexual abuse takes place close to home, by someone known to the victim. The impact on the mental health of children and adults can be enormous. Children with a history of abuse are at increased risk of suicide, self-harm, depression or addiction because they are burdened with feelings of guilt. They blame themselves for what happened, how they reacted, etc. They often have to bear the impact alone. “That is a big difference from other traumas,” says clinical psychologist Iva Bicanic. “We talk about that with loved ones, we seek support. But with abuse, that doesn’t happen.”
A typical feature of sexual abuse is that children remain silent about it. They often only talk about it once they have been living independently for a long time. According to Iva Bicanic, children remain silent mainly because they are terrified of the consequences if it comes out. And rightly so. Sometimes entire families fall apart, so disclosure is not without consequences. “As a child, you know that something is going to change, you just don’t know exactly what. The most common strategy is then: don’t think about it and don’t talk about it. Nothing’s wrong. More than half of the children who have been proven to have been abused show no behavioural signs that indicate this.”
Awareness is needed to optimise care. “If scientific research teaches us how to identify problems early on, better understand what is needed and provide more targeted support, that is a gain. Unfortunately, like climate change, this problem cannot be easily solved, but by making smart choices and working together to protect as many children as possible, it can be done!”
If it were up to Iva Bicanic, children would be asked as standard during the intake of parents and children in youth care and youth mental health care whether they have had negative experiences with their bodies and whether there are things they must keep secret. “I hope that educators dare to ask these questions, but I think there is too much caution. Even though the link between traumatic experiences and a child’s well-being is well known,” says Iva. “The research we are going to do is partly focused on language and on training care providers so that they can and dare to ask questions effectively. So that they can ultimately provide better care from a life course perspective, if something has just gone wrong, but also in the future of these children.”
Are there any prospects that give hope? “Parents need to know that they play an important role in the recovery process. They are more important than a hundred therapists like me. When the abuse comes to light, you can wipe the floor with parents. It is also terrible when you find out that your twelve-year-old child has been abused for a long time by someone they know. But I try to make it clear to them that they can give their child no greater gift than to remain calm and radiate confidence: Mummy sometimes has to cry, but everything will be alright, and Daddy is sometimes angry, but not with you. It is very frightening for a child when parents lose themselves in their emotions. A child feels guilty about this and continues to do what it has always done: pretend that nothing is wrong.”
Iva actually wanted to study medicine and become a paediatrician. But after being rejected a few times, she opted for movement sciences and later psychology at VU University Amsterdam. The lectures by Francien Lamers, professor of child abuse, inspired her to specialise in child sexual abuse. “These children are victims of something they can’t do anything about, and then they lose their lives. That’s a huge loss. How do you move on from that?”
Iva became the founder of the Sexual Assault Center and headed the national Psychotrauma Centre at the UMC Utrecht. Her new chair, established by Utrecht University and the UMC Utrecht, marks a new phase. “The reflex to reject or look away from this topic is very understandable. It is very important that this university recognises that sexual abuse of children exists and that more scientific research is needed to do something about it. With a good team, the support of important partners such as the Victim Support Fund and others, and in dialogue with victims, I want to make a difference in the coming years. After all, this is an issue that concerns us all as a society.”
The Sexual Assault Center has a team of doctors, nurses, police officers and other care providers who work together to provide specialist care. Victims of sexual violence who were assaulted less than a week ago can contact the Sexual Assault Center 24/7 by calling: 0800-0188.
