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Of the 1,012,000 substantiated reports of child abuse or neglect
filed in 1994, the total number of children subject to report
totaled 2,935,470 when taking into account multiple children living
in homes reported for abuse or neglect. (1996
National Data Book, Statistical Abstract of the U.S,
(116th edition), U.S Bureau of the Census, Washington, D.C.)
Violence against children is one of the least well-documented areas of personal crime. Preliminary estimates suggest that violence against children accounts for more than 20 percent of all out-of-pocket crime victim costs, and more than 35 percent of all out-of-pocket crime costs when pain, suffering and lost quality of life is added. (Miller, Ted R., Cohen, Mark A., Wiersema, Brian, Victim Costs and Consequences: A New Look, February 1996. U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, Washington, D.C.) The cost of mental health care for the typical child sexual abuse victim is estimated to be $5,800. (Ibid.) In 1994, children under the age of 18 accounted for 11 percent of all murder victims in the United States. (Greenfeld, Lawrence A., "Child Victimizers: Violent Offenders and Their Victims: Executive Summary", March 1996. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics and Office for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Washington, D.C.) More than half the violent crimes committed against children involve victims age 12 or younger, with three in four child victims of violence female. (Ibid.) Two-thirds of all prisoners convicted of rape or sexual assault committed their crime against a child. (Ibid.). |
As violence against women escalates in the home, children experience
a 300 percent increase in physical violence by the male batter,
and may be at increased risk of abuse by the mother or female
caretaker. (Straus, M. & Gelles, R., "Physical
Violence in American Families, Risk Factors and Adaptations to
Violence in 8,145 Families". Transaction Publishers, New
Brunswick, N.J., 1990.)
Almost 50 percent of children who die from maltreatment in the United States are already known to child protection agencies. (National Resource Center on Child Sexual Abuse of the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, NRCCSA News, March/April 1996, Huntsville, AL. ) Almost 2 million reports of alleged child abuse and neglect were received by child protective services agencies and referred for investigation in 1994. Of this number, 1,012,000 reports were substantiated. Nearly half of the children abused or neglected were six years or younger, with more than a quarter three years old or younger. However, the Third National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect estimates that almost three times the state-reported number of children are maltreated each year. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, "Child Maltreatment 1994: Reports from the States to the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect", Washington, D.C.) Forty-eight states reported that there were 530,873 substantiated or indicated victims who suffered from neglect; 255,907 victims of physical abuse; 138,554 victims of sexual abuse; and 47,079 victims of emotional maltreatment. (Ibid., pg.2-4) Note: OVC makes no representation concerning the accuracy of data from non-Department of Justice sources. |
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