It is estimated that only 25% of abuse cases are reported.

In 1976, there were aproxmatly 669,000 cases of abuse or neglect reported; by 1987 this number jumped to 2,178,000 and 2,900,000 in 1994. In 1997 there were over 3 million reported cases of child abuse or neglect. In 1998 47 out of every 1000 children were reported as victims of some form of maltreatment.


It is estimated that in 1994 over 1,000 children died as a result of abuse and or neglect, based on data gathered from 43 states. This figure is conservative because of the potential for misdiagnosis of childhood deaths and the difficulty states have in gathering information about the circumstances surrounding a child's death. Between 1990 & 1994, CPS agencies reported that 5,400 children died as a result of abuse or neglect. In its 1995 report on child abuse fatalities, the US Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect reported that a more realistic number is approximately 2,000 deaths annually, that comes to approximately 5 children every day that die because of maltreatment. The majority of these children were under the age of 5, and almost half were less than 1 year old.

The number of reports is steadily increasing. An estimated 669,000 reports were made to CPS agencies in 1976. In 1987 that number jumped to 2,178,000, and in 1994 2,900,000. On average, based on data from 1976 - 1993, there has been a 9% annual growth rate in reporting. Over the last 5 years this rate has leveled off to approximately 3%. This increase in the rate of reporting has been attributed to increased public awareness.

It is hard to imagine that anyone would inflict harm on their own or anybody else's child. There is such a fine line between discipline and abuse, and in many cases that line is crossed and it is not realized until it is too late. A lot of the time physical abuse is the result of excessive discipline or punishment that is inappropriate for the child's age. The abuser might not be aware of the force that he / she strikes the child with. Factors which contribute to child abuse include the immaturity of parents, a lack of parenting skills, unrealistic expectations about a child's behavior and capabilities, a parent's own negative childhood experiences, social isolation, frequent family crises, and drug or alcohol abuse. Neglect is commonly linked to poverty, but there is a difference between a caregiver's inability to provide care due to lack of financial resources and a caregiver's reluctance and / or refusal to provide adequate care. No matter what the reasons are, children who are in neglectful or abusive situations need our help urgently.

Every state in the US, and most counties have Social Services agencies that are supposed to provide protective services to our children. These agencies have the legal authority to investigate, explore, study and evaluate the facts surrounding reported cases of abuse of any kind. Child welfare workers are then supposed to make their decision on whether or not to remove a child from the family / home based on factors such as:
1) What is the immediate danger or risk to the child?
2) What is the motivation, capacity and intent of the alleged perpetrator?
Child welfare workers are also legally required to make all reasonable efforts to reunite the family whenever possible. Sometimes a child is placed in substitute family or "foster" care until the immediate danger has passed and support services can be provided to the family. However, the number of children actually removed form their homes in substantiated cases of maltreatment is relatively small - about 15%. Sometimes criminal charges are filed, depending on the type and severity of the abuse. Convicted perpetrators face a range of penalties from mandatory therapy to prison sentences.

One part of this child abuse epidemic, is that too many people do not realize the severity of this problem. The statistics do not even begin to show the extent. The numbers are inaccurate. They do not reflect the vast amount of unreported cases, the numbers of children that are currently in abusive situations. They only reflect the number reported. Take a look at the long-term effects of abuse; suicide, mental illness, drug and/or alcohol addiction, continued abuse. Is this what we want our society to become, is this the world that we want our children, grand-children, great grand-children to grow up in? One way that you can help make a difference is by helping to increase awareness, that is the reason for this web page. Think about the number of times that you hear of a sexual predator getting away with this horrific crime. How many people that are convicted of crimes against children serve their sentences, then return to their lives of abuse. They will often seek employment that will allow them easy, trusted, access to children (potential victims), such as teachers, caregivers, or coaches. This does not mean that all, or even most teachers, care givers and coaches are pedophiles, unfortunately these are the types of jobs that allow them the access to children that their sickness requires.

As you read through these pages keep in mind that this is not a problem that happens to other people's families. The "not in my neighborhood" mentality is part of what feeds this plague. If you refuse to see the symptoms then the abuse will continue. Don't close your mind to the possibility that this can happen to your child, to your family, to some one you know. Pay attention to the signs and symptoms that cry for our help. Lets all work together and SAVE OUR CHILDREN!


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