CHILD
MALTREATMENT
Child protective services across the country found an estimated 896,000 children
to be victims of maltreatment (neglect or abuse).8
Sixty-one percent of child maltreatment victims suffered
neglect; 19 percent were physically abused; 10 percent were
sexually abused; and 7 percent were emotionally or psychologically maltreated.
In addition, 18.9 percent of victims experienced
"other" types of maltreatment such as "abandonment," "threats
of harm to the child," and "congenital drug
addiction."9
Fifty-two percent of child maltreatment victims were girls and
48 percent were boys.10
More than one-half of all child victims were white (54 percent);
one-quarter (26 percent) were African-American; and one-tenth (11 percent)
were Hispanic. American Indians or Alaska Natives accounted for 2 percent
of victims, and Asian-Pacific Islanders accounted for 1 percent of
victims.11
Approximately 40 percent of child victims were maltreated solely by their
mothers; another 19 percent were maltreated solely by their fathers;
18 percent were abused by both parents. Child victims abused by a non-parental
perpetrator accounted for 13 percent of the total.12
The youngest
children (from birth through age 3) were the most likely to experience
recurring maltreatment.13
Children abused by someone other than a parent were 16
percent less likely to experience recurrence than children who were abused
by their mother.14
Victimization rates are inversely proportional to the age of
the child--the older the child, the less likely he or she is to be
maltreated.15
In 2002, an estimated 1,400 children died due to child abuse
or neglect.16
Five percent of child molesters released from prison commit
a new sex offense within three years of their
release.17
Twenty-nine children were murdered by their babysitters in
2003.18
Victims of child abuse comprised 21 percent of the recipients of
crime victim compensation in 2003.19
The most significant predictor of whether a battered
woman will physically abuse her child is having been physically abused by her
own mother-not being battered by her partner.20
8 Children's Bureau. (2004). Child Maltreatment. Washington, DC:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Online:
http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cb/publications/cm02.
9 Ibid.
10
Ibid.
11 Ibid.
12 Ibid.
13 Ibid.
14 Ibid.
15
Ibid.
16 Ibid.
17 Langan et al. (2003). Recidivism of
Sex Offenders Released from Prison in 1994. Washington, DC: National Institute
of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice. Online:
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/rsorp94.pdf.
18 Federal Bureau of
Investigation. (2004). Crime in the United States, 2003.
Washington, DC: Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice.
Online: http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_03/pdf/03sec1.pdf.
19 National Association of Crime
Victim Compensation Boards. (2004). "Compensation to Victims Continues to
Increase." Alexandria, VA: NACVCB. Online: http://www.nacvcb.org.
20 Coohey,
C. (2004). "Battered mothers who physically abuse their
children." Journal of Interpersonal Violence 19 (8).