Child Abuse

11 Pages 2678 Words

e most common type of reported and substantiated form of maltreatment. In 1996, 25 states provided the following breakdown of reported cases: 62% involved neglect, 25% physical abuse, 7% sexual abuse, 3% emotional maltreatment, and 4% other. Also in 1996, an estimated 3,126,000 children were reported to Child Protective Services (CPS) agencies as alleged victims of child maltreatment. Child abuse reports have maintained a steady growth for the past ten years, with the total number of reports nationwide increasing 45% since 1987. In 1995, an estimated 1,215 child abuse and neglect related fatalities were confirmed by CPS agencies. Since 1985, the rate of child abuse fatalities has increased by 39%. Based on these numbers, more than three children die each day as a result of child abuse and neglect. Approximately 54% of the deaths were due to physical abuse while 43% were from neglect. A study found that 82 % of these children were under the age of five while an alarming 42% were under the age of one at the time of their death.
According to the ...