Statistics on Abuse and Neglect
According to the U.S. Administration for Children & Families (2016), approximately 676,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect in 2015, with 3.4 million children coming to the attention of CPS. Those under one year-of-age are the most common victims of maltreatment. The most common form of abuse for all children is neglect (74.8 percent) followed by physical abuse (18.2 percent) and sexual abuse (8.5 percent).
In 2016, 1,750 children died from abuse and neglect, with 70 percent of those under three years of age, and 44 percent of deaths were children younger than one year of age, which is classified as infanticide (Children’s Bureau, 2016). Of those children who died, 74.6 percent had been neglected, and 44.2 percent had been physically abused, including in combination with some other type of mistreatment. Drugs and alcohol were found to be the most common factors present when a child death occurred from abuse or neglect, and 78 percent of perpetrators were parents.
Deployments, and issues adjusting upon return from deployments, added to normal life stressors increase child abuse among military families. According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, 54 percent of all military child abuse cases are perpetrated by the active duty parent as opposed to the spouse. Military children experience more severe forms of maltreatment and physical abuse, including fatal child maltreatment and shaken baby syndrome. In addition, rates of domestic violence and alcohol abuse, both of which are linked to child maltreatment, are higher in military populations. The military has put child abuse campaigns in place to try to deal with these issues. Image: Silent Scream. Author: U.S. Department of Defense. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org