Child Maltreatment Facts at a glance - 2013 by National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Division of Violence Prevention

• In 2011, U.S. state and local child protective services (CPS) received an estimated 3.7 million referrals of children being abused or neglected. 1

• CPS estimated that 681,000 children (9.1 per 1,000) were victims of maltreatment.

• Of the child victims, 79% were victims of neglect; 18% of physical abuse; 9% of sexual abuse; and 10% were victims of other types of maltreatment including threatened abuse, parent’s drug/alcohol abuse, or lack of supervision.

• CPS reports of child maltreatment may underestimate the true occurrence. Non-CPS studies estimate that 1 in 7 U.S. children experience some form of child maltreatment in their lifetimes. 2-4

• Between 1990 and 2010, CPS-reported rates of sexual violence declined 62%, physical abuse declined 56%, and neglect declined 10%. 5

• The total lifetime economic burden resulting from new cases of fatal and nonfatal child maltreatment in the United States is approximately $124 billion. 6

Deaths from Maltreatment

• In 2011, an estimated 1,750 children died from child maltreatment (rate of 2.1 per 100,000 children). 1

• Of the children who died from maltreatment in 2011, 71% experienced neglect either exclusively or in combination with another form of maltreatment and 48% percent experienced physical abuse either exclusively or in combination with another form of maltreatment. 1

• Of child maltreatment fatalities in 2011, 81.6% occurred among children younger than age 4; 9.5% among 4-7 year-olds; 4.6% among 8-11 year-olds; 2.2% among 12-15 year-olds; and 1.4% among 16-17 year-olds. 1

• The fatality rate for boys was 2.5 per 100,000 and for girls was 1.7 per 100,000. 1

• The 2011 rates of death per 100,000 children was 3.9 for African Americans, 2.6 for American Indian/Alaska Natives, 1.9 for Hispanics, 1.6 for non-Hispanic Whites, 1.2 for Pacific Islanders and 0.4 for Asians. 1

Characteristics of Victims

• In 2011, 35% of victims were younger than 3 years, with children younger than 1 year having the highest rate of victimization (21.2 per 1,000 children). 1

• The rates of victimization in 2011 were 8.7 per 1,000 children for boys and 9.6 per 1,000 children for girls. 1

• The 2011 rates of victimization per 1,000 children were 14.3 for African Americans, 11.4 for American Indian/Alaska Natives, 8.5 for Pacific Islanders, 8.6 for Hispanics, 7.9 for non-Hispanic Whites, and 1.7 for Asians. 1

• Approximately three quarters of victims in 2011 had no prior victimization for each year from 2007-2011. 1

Characteristics of Perpatators

• Most victims in 2011 were maltreated by a parent (80.8%). Other perpetrators included relatives other than parents (5.9%), unmarried partners of parents (4.4%), and other unrelated adults (2.9%). 1

• In 2011, fewer than 6% of perpetrators were aged < 19 years; 36.4% were aged 20–29 years; 32.3% were aged 30–39 years; 15.9% were aged 40–49 years; and 5.0% were aged 50-59 years. 1

• Two-fifths (45.1%) of perpetrators in 2011 were men, and 53.6% were women. 1

References:

1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau. (2012). Child Maltreatment 2011. Available from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/research-data-technology/statistics-research/child-maltreatment

2. Finkelhor D, Turner H, Ormond R, Hamby SL. Violence, abuse, and crime exposure in a national sample of children and youth. Pediatrics 2009; 124:1411-1423.

3. Theodore AD, Chang JJ, Runyan DK, Hunter WM, Bangdewala SI, Agans R. Epidemiologic features of the physical and sexual maltreatment of children in the Carolinas. Pediatrics 2005; 115: e331-e337.

4. Finkelhor D, Ormrod H, Turner H, Hamby S. The victimization of children and youth: a comprehensive national survey. Child Maltreatment 2005; 10: 5-25.

5. Finkelhor D, Jones L, Shattuck A. Updated Trends in Child Maltreatment, 2010. Durham, NH. Crimes against Children Research Center, 2011. Available from www.unh.edu/ccrc/pdf/CV203_Updated%20trends%202010%20FINAL_12-19-11.pdf

6. Fang X, Brown DS, Florence CS, Mercy JA. The economic burden of child maltreatment in the United States and implications for prevention. Child Abuse and Neglect 2012; 36:156-165.