Background: Violence against children is a profound violation of human rights that spans across cultures, races, economic positions and geographical borders in both developed and developing countries. The most recent global estimates conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that 150 million girls and 73 million boys under the age of 18 have experienced forced sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual violence involving physical contact (WHO, 2006). The primary purpose of this dissertation is to better understand individual, familial and social causes that influence or hinder act(s) of sexual violence experienced in childhood by examining the protective factors and gender norms that are correlated with victimization. Objective: This study examined associations between protective factors, gender norms and sexual violence by addressing the specific variables associated with placing a population (i.e. socioeconomic status, age and sex) at higher-risk. This information may inform and guide the development of strategies set to strengthen actions protecting children from sexual violence before it occurs. Methods: The study design is based on secondary analysis of Violence against Children Survey (VACS) data previously collected in Malawi. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were employed to assess the links between protective factors, attitudes/beliefs of children and experiencing sexual violence.Results: Among females, study findings determined that closeness of/with father, feeling safe in the community and never witnessing parental abuse and protection from sexual violence were protective factors from experiencing sexual violence. For males, findings indicated that positive friendships, perceived safety in the community and never witnessing spousal abuse were protective factors against exposure to sexual violence. Results also confirmed that certain gender norms are associated with the risk of sexual violence in childhood. For females, socioeconomic status was associated with sexual violence. Also, there were more significant associations between attitudes and believes in gender-based violence, intimate partner violence and perceptions of sexual relationships and having experienced sexual violence than among male respondents. These findings imply that further research and interventions should align with verifying gender norms while addressing key ethical tensions between cultural values and the factors that may cause social unbalances.