What are the Numbers

• What are the numbers?
• Neglect
  • Indicators
  • Causes
• Physical
• Emotional
• Sexual
• Cultural Issues
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What do the statistics say about child abuse and neglect?  

 

Statistics play a vital role in understanding child abuse and neglect and there are many reasons to use statistics. 

 

First, statisticss allow us to understand how large the abuse and neglect problem is in the United States. According to a study conducted by the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) in 2001, "approximately 903,000 children were found to be victims of child maltreatment." The data indicate that for every 1,000 children, 12.4 children were victimized. 

 

Second, statistics allow us to see which area of maltreatment is most reported. The same study indicates that 57% of child victims suffered from neglect, 19% physical abuse, 10% sexual abuse, and 7% emotional abuse. The data suggests that neglect is the easiest type of child maltreatment to report and substantiate. While it is apparent that emotional abuse is least reported, it is most likely due to the fact that is the hardest type of child maltreatment to prove.  

 

Third, statistics allow us to understand the seriousness of abuse and neglect. As reported by NCANDS, an estimated 1,300 child fatalities were reported in 2001. Very young children (ages 1 to 5) were found to be most at risk and 56% of the victims were male. The chart below indicates the percentage of fatalities that were caused by child maltreatment. 

 

Types of Maltreatment	Percentage in 2001
Neglect Only	36%
Physical Abuse Only	26%
Physical Abuse and Neglect	22%
Other Types (and combination of types)	16%

 

Fourth, statistics can indicate where the threat of child maltreatment may originate. In the 80's, the greatest threat to children was thought to come from strangers. "Stranger danger" was the common term at the time. However, current studies show that the real threat of child maltreatment and fatalities comes from primary caregivers. Of all children under age 5 murdered from 1976 to 1998:

• 31% were killed by mothers,
• 31% were killed by fathers,
• 23% were killed by male acquaintances,
• 6% were killed by other relatives, and
• 3% were killed by strangers.

The data indicates that mandated reporters must not discount statements about primary caregivers or other adults in a child's life.  

 

Fifth, statistics are used to shape policy and programs in order to prevent and reduce the incidence of child maltreatment. After the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act was passed in 1974, 670,000 cases of child maltreatment were reported in 1976. In 2001, 3 million referrals crossed the desk of CPS workers in the United States.  

 

Even though statistics are an important tool in the fight against child abuse and neglect, the numbers don't create the picture of what the child victim has to endure. Victims may carry scars (emotional and physical) with them the rest of their lives. They are more likely to become abusers themselves. Research is conducted and prevention programs are created in order to stop the abuse and heal the wounds before they have serious effect on a child. This is the reason why reporting is so important to our children and our society. 

 

(Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Child Maltreatment 2001, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2003. For information on line concerning the NCANDS report go to www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cb.) 

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