11 FACTS ABOUT CHILD ABUSE

Reproduced from dosomething.org

1. Approximately 5 children die every day because of child abuse.^[1]

2. 1 out of 3 girls and 1 out of 5 boys will be sexually abused before they reach age 18.^[2]

3. 90% of child sexual abuse victims know the perpetrator in some way. 68% are abused by a family member.^[3]

4. In 2012, 82.2% of child abuse perpetrators were found to be between the ages of 18-44, of which 39.6% were recorded to be between the ages of 25-34.^[4]

5. In the United States, more than 4 children die from child abuse and neglect on a daily basis. Over 70% of these children are below the age of 3.^[5]

6. Boys (48.5%) and girls (51.2%) become victims at nearly the same rate.^[6]

7. 2.9 million cases of child abuse are reported every year in the United States.^[7]

8. Children who experience child abuse and neglect are 59% more likely to be arrested as a juvenile, 28% more likely to be arrested as an adult, and 30% more likely to commit violence crime.^[8]

9. About 80% of 21-year-olds who were abused as children met criteria for at least one psychological disorder.^[9]

10. 14% of all men and 36% of all women in prison were abused as children.^[10]

11. Abused children are less likely to practice safe sex, putting them at greater risk for STDs. They’re also 25% more likely to experience teen pregnancy.^[11]

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1. 1. ChildHelp. “Child Abuse Statistics and Facts.” ChildHelp. Accessed March 3, 2015. . ↩︎
   2. The Advocacy Center. “The Facts About Youth Sexual Abuse.” Accessed February 21, 2014, http://www.theadvocacycenter.org/adv_abuse.html. ↩︎
   3. U.S. Department of Justice. “Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement: Victim, Incident, and Offender Characteristics.” Bureau of Justice Statics. Accessed February 21, 2014, http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/saycrle.pdf. ↩︎
   4. Safe Horizon. “Child Abuse Facts.” Accessed March 3, 2015. . ↩︎
   5. Safe Horizon. “Child Abuse & Incest.” Accessed March 1, 2015. . ↩︎
   6. Safe Horizon. “Child Abuse Facts.” Accessed March 1, 2015. . ↩︎
   7. Safe Horizon. “Child Abuse Facts.” Accessed March 3, 2015. . ↩︎
   8. Safe Horizon. “Child Abuse Facts.” Accessed March 3, 2015. . ↩︎
   9. Silverman, Amy B., Helen Z. Reinherz, and Rose M. Giaconia. “The Long-term Sequelae Of Child And Adolescent Abuse: A Longitudinal Community Study.” Child Abuse & Neglect 20, no. 8 (1996): 709-723. . ↩︎
   10. U.S. Department of Justice. “Prior Abuse Reported by Inmates and Probationers.” Bureau of Justice Statistics. Accessed February 21, 2014, http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/parip.pdf. ↩︎
   11. Sauer Children’s Renew Foundation. “Facts about Child Abuse and Neglect.” Accessed March 3, 2015. . ↩︎