Child abuse, being a very common problem, goes unnoticed in several cases. These numbers may be more than they are. Around 3 million cases of child abuse are inspected each year in United States. About 1 million of these cases are validated, others are either closed or whatever.
Estimated 903,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect in 2001
The actual incidence of abuse and neglect is estimated to be three times greater than the number reported to authorities
Administration on Children, Youth, and Families divided the cases of child abuse into four different categories:
Neglect (60%)
Physical Abuse 20%
Sexual Abuse 10%
Emotional Abuse 10%
Over 50,000 children experience severe forms of physical abuse that cause life threatening injuries, long-term physical impairment, or require professional treatment to prevent long term physical impairment. Over 18,000 children suffer severe disabilities each year as a result of child abuse. The most severe types of abuse can result in the death of a child.
Around 1,200 to 1,500 children die as a result of some type of child abuse
Over 75% of fatalities involve children under the age of 4.
Children deaths are due to physical abuse (48%), neglect (37%), or a combination of both (15%).
A study indicates that 31% of males and 21% of females are subjected to physical abuse during their childhood.
For sexual abuse, studies show that up to 15 to 30% of women and 3 to 15% of men were exposed to sexual abuse at sometime in their lives prior to age of 18.
Over 400,000 children per year are subject to some of form of sexual abuse.
Around 27% of women and 16% of mean said that they had experienced sexual abuse prior to age of 18.
Up to 70 to 80% of women are sexually abused.
During 2002, 1,800,000 cases were investigated for child abuse.
Approximately 896,000 children were victims of child abuse or neglect.
More than 60% of child victims are neglected by parents or caregivers.
Around 20% are physically abused.
10% are sexually abused.
7% are emotionally abused.
Almost 20% are maltreated differently.
The overall rate of maltreatment is lowest in families with incomes above $30,000 per year; it is 10 times higher in families with incomes between $15,000 and $30,000; and 22 times higher in families with incomes below $15,000.
Each day more than 3 children die as a result of child abuse in home
Most of the children who die are younger than 6 years of age
More children die from child abuse than any other leading cause of injury or death for infants and young children
Homicide is the leading cause of injury deaths among infants (usually under one year of age)
Reporting of abuse, 9 in 10 Americans polled regarding child abuse as a serious issue, yet only 1 in 3 reported abuses when confronted with an actual situation
Men and women serving time in prisons report incidences of being abused as children than general population
Sexual offenders serving time in prisons admit that two-thirds of their victims were under age of 18.
One-half of child abuse and neglect cases are associated with parental alcohol or drug abuse

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