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Child Abuse
Child abuse is harm to a child for which there is no “reasonable” explanation; it includes non-accidental physical injury, neglect, sexual molestation and emotional abuse. Child abuse has become a national epidemic -- more than one million children are confirmed each year by state departments of child protective services as victims of child abuse and neglect. At least three children a day die from this type of abuse.
In the United States in 1997, over 3,195,000 children were reported to child protective services as victims of child abuse and neglect, translating to roughly 47 out of 1,000 children. This represents a 1.7% increase since 1996. In 1997, approximately 84,320 new cases of child sexual abuse were accepted for service, accounting for 8% of all confirmed victims. Child abuse reporting levels have increased 41% between 1988 and 1997 which experts attribute to a greater public awareness of and willingness to report child maltreatment, as well as changes in the way states collect reports of maltreatment.
Facts on child fatalities as a result of child abuse and neglect:
- In 1996, 1,185 child abuse and neglect related fatalities were confirmed by CPS agencies.
- Since 1985, the rate of child abuse fatalities has risen 34%.
- Young children remain at high risk for loss of life -- between 1995 and 1997, 78% of child abuse fatalities were under 5 years old at the time of death and 38% were under 1.
- 41% of child abuse fatalities occurred to children known to child protective service agencies as current or prior clients.
- 44% of child abuse fatalities resulted from neglect.
- 51% of child abuse fatalities resulted from physical abuse.
- 5% of child abuse fatalities resulted from a combination of neglectful and physically abusive parenting.
Sources: Prevent Child Abuse America; Current Trends in Child Abuse Reporting and Fatalities: The Results of the 1997 Annual Fifty State Survey -- Wang and Daro; Highlights of Official Child Neglect and Abuse Reporting, 1986 -- American Association for Protecting Children; Early Findings from the Third National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect: 1988 -- Sedlak; American Association for Protecting Children (AAPC)
Domestic and child abuse resources
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