Although child sexual abuse (CSA) is acknowledged as a worldwide social phenomenon, less is known about CSA within Arab societies. The current systematic literature review was designed to highlight the empirical knowledge on CSA in Arab societies. Guided by PRISMA principles, key databases were searched, with no time limit, for studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Fifty-seven studies were identified. The majority focused on the prevalence of CSA in various Arab societies around the world, with a wide range of rates reported. It is important to stress two main barriers addressed by the included studies. The first relates to the issue of taboo and the forbidden discussion of sexual content. The second is ethical, in which the researchers expressed their fear of creating emotional distress for their participants. A small group of studies examined parents’ perceptions of CSA and the need for parents’ involvement in the protection of their children. Another small group of studies focused on professionals’ perceptions and experiences in contending with CSA, as well as their distress, conflict, and urgent need for support and guidance. The conclusions from the systematic literature review emphasized the enormous challenge of conducting studies on CSA in Arab societies and the urgent need to advance this research while also including children and adult survivors, whose perceptions and experiences are currently understudied. Moreover, the discussion stresses the need to adopt an intersectionality paradigm in future studies to advance the improvement of CSA policy and practice.

尽管儿童性虐待 (CSA) 被公认为是一种世界性的社会现象，但在阿拉伯社会中对 CSA 的了解却较少。当前的系统文献综述旨在突出阿拉伯社会对 CSA 的经验知识。在 PRISMA 原则的指导下，对关键数据库进行了无时间限制的搜索，以寻找符合纳入标准的研究。确定了 57 项研究。大多数人关注 CSA 在世界各地阿拉伯社会中的流行情况，报告的发病率范围很广。重要的是要强调纳入研究解决的两个主要障碍。第一个涉及禁忌问题和禁止讨论色情内容。第二个是道德的，研究人员表达了他们对给参与者造成情绪困扰的恐惧。一小部分研究考察了父母对 CSA 的看法以及父母参与保护孩子的必要性。另一小组研究侧重于专业人员在应对 CSA 方面的看法和经验，以及他们的痛苦、冲突以及对支持和指导的迫切需求。系统文献综述的结论强调了在阿拉伯社会开展 CSA 研究的巨大挑战，以及迫切需要推进这项研究，同时还包括儿童和成人幸存者，他们的看法和经验目前尚未得到充分研究。此外，讨论强调需要在未来的研究中采用交叉性范式，以推进 CSA 政策和实践的改进。