insane05 asked this question on 3/21/2000:
Hello, I would like to know the statistics in on child and child sexual abuse in 1999, or most recent.
jellygator gave this response on 3/22/2000:
The statistics usually vary depending upon who is testing. (And are not normally considered very accurate due to underreporting of abuse).
Regarding physical abuse and neglect, the National Child Abuse Clearing House's report states, "Findings from the Third National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS-3) estimate that child maltreatment nearly doubled in the United States between 1986 and 1993. The study estimates that:
The number of abused and neglected children grew from 1.4 million in 1986 to over 2.8 million in 1993
The number of children who were seriously injured quadrupled from about 143,000 in 1986 to nearly 570,000 in 1993
Only 28 percent of the children identified by the study as harmed by abuse and neglect in 1993 were investigated by State child protective services (CPS). NIS-3 is designed to estimate the actual number of abused and neglected children including cases both reported and not reported to CPS. NIS bases estimates on information from more than 5,600 community professionals who come into contact with maltreated children in a variety of settings. The most recent NIS survey examines data from 1993, while the previous survey was conducted in 1986.
(For additional information, visit www.calib.com/nccanch/services/stats.htm . There are more fact sheets and statistics available, as well as information on state laws.)
The last child sexual abuse stats I've heard were for 1998 and stated only that 1 in 4 girls is sexually assaulted by the age of 18. I don't remember the source of the information. Older statistics (1995) based on a study by a Canadian university found the results to be 1 in 3 for girls and 1 in 4 for boys to be sexually assaulted before the age of 18.
However, more recent results vary considerably. A study by Lisak and colleagues reports approximately 1 in 6 boys is sexually molested by age 16, and that as many as 1 in 3 adults do not recall incidents in which they were victimized. For more info on this, visit http://www.jimhopper.com/abstats/ . Jim Hopper was involved with conducting the study.
If you need more specific information, the following internet sites have data on the subject:
jellygator gave this follow-up answer on 3/22/2000:
I forgot to add the URL's...
http://child.cornell.edu/ (info about child fatalities from abuse, reporting trends, and statistics updated weekly are available for download.)
http://www.capcenter.org/ (shaken baby syndrome information)
http://www.capcenter.org/ (historical information regarding various types of child abuse including pedophilia, child labor, corporal punishment, foot-binding, racial abuse, and many more.)
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