From: U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services
These Child Maltreatment 1997 highlights are based on States' responses to
the 1997 Summary Data Component Survey. This year, many new data items were
requested and not all States were able to provide complete statistics for every
item.
REPORTS: In 1997, child protective services agencies investigated 2
million reports alleging the maltreatment of almost 3 million children.
- The national rate of children who were reported was 39.1 per 1,000
children in the population.
- Reports were received from professionals (54%); parents, other relatives,
and alleged victims (18%); and friends and neighbors (8.5%). Twenty percent of
reports were from unknown or anonymous sources, other sources, and alleged
perpetrators.
- It is estimated that three-fifths of substantiated or indicated reports
were from professional sources-legal, medical, social service, or
education.
VICTIMS: Child protective services agencies determined that just under 1
million children were victims of substantiated or indicated abuse and neglect in
1997, a decrease from the 1996 statistics.
- The national rate of victimization was 13.9 per 1,000 children in the
population.
- More than half (54%) of all victims suffered neglect, while almost a
quarter (24%) suffered physical abuse. Children suffering psychological abuse
and medical neglect accounted for about 6 percent and 2 percent, respectively.
A greater proportion of neglect victims were children younger than 8 years
old, while a greater proportion of physical and sexual abuse victims were
children age 8 or older.
- n Two-thirds (67%) of all victims were white. African American children
represented the second largest group of victims (29.5%). Hispanic children
represented about 13 percent of victims, American Indian/Alaska Native
children about 2.5 percent of victims and Asian/Pacific Islander children
about 1 percent of victims. The proportions of victims who were African
American or American Indian/Alaska native were two times greater than the
proportions of these children in the general population.
- An estimated 1,196 child fatalities attributed to maltreatment occurred
during 1997. Data indicate that children 3 and younger accounted for 77
percent of the fatalities.
PERPETRATORS: Over 75 percent of perpetrators of child maltreatment were
parents, and an additional 10 percent were other relatives of the victim
- It is estimated that over 80 percent of all perpetrators were under age 40
and that almost two-thirds (62%) were females.
- An estimated three-quarters of sexual abuse cases were associated with
male perpetrators, while over 70 percent of neglect and over 80 percent of
medical neglect were associated with female perpetrators.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Child Maltreatment
1997: Reports from the States to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data
System. (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1999).
National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect
Information
330 C Street, SW
Washington, DC 20447
(703)
385-7565
(800) FYI-3366
nccanch@calib.com
http://www.calib.com/nccanch
A service of the Children's Bureau, Administration
for Children and Families,
U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services
Home