The
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act
(CAPTA)
defines child abuse and neglect as:
at
a minimum, any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent
or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional
harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, or an act or failure to act
which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.
For
CAPTA, the term child is someone who has not reached the age
of 18; or (except in the case of sexual abuse) the age specified by
the child protection law of the state in which the child resides.
Within
the minimum standards set by CAPTA, each state is responsible for
providing its own definitions of child abuse and neglect.
Most
states recognize four major types of maltreatment:
neglect,
physical abuse,
sexual
abuse, and
emotional abuse.
Although any of the forms of child maltreatment may be found
separately, they often occur in combination.
In 2009 over 1,100 children died from
abuse or neglect, of these 77% were
three or younger.
During 2010, more than 772,000 children
were victims of abuse or neglect.
Newborns to 1.5 years of age had the
highest rate of victimization at 21.7
per 1,000 children of the same age group
of the national population.
More than half the victims, 51.3%, were
girls, 48.3% were boys and almost half
of all victims were whites (45.1%),
16.6% were African American, and 20.8%
Latino.
Over 70% of victims experienced neglect.
16.1% of the victims suffered physical
abuse.
9.1% of the victims suffered sexual
abuse.
1 in 5 children received a sexual
approach over the Internet.
20% of the entire industry of
pornography includes minors.
Only 35% of cases of child sexual
exploitation is reported.
Over 300 million children worldwide are
subjected to some kind of dangerous
physical labor, commercial sexual
exploitation and trafficking of
children.
Information provided by The National Center
for Missing and Exploited Children, UNICEF,
The Children’s Bureau in the Administration
on Children, Youth and Families,
Administration for Children and Families,
U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services.
Child Abuse and Neglect
~ Understanding the reasons why adults hurt children and what can be done to intervene can help protect
children from the consequences of abuse or neglect.
Children's Exposure to Violence: A Comprehensive National Survey
(pdf) ~ Children are exposed to violence every day in their
homes, schools, and communities. They may be
struck by a
boyfriend, bullied
by a classmate, or abused by an adult. They may witness an assault
on a parent or a shooting on the street. Such exposure can cause
significant physical, mental, and emotional harm with long-term
effects that can last well into adulthood.
Mothers
and Children: Understanding the Links Between Woman Battering
and Child Abuse ~ The studies reviewed here suggest that in
32% to 53% of all families where women are being beaten their
children are also the victims of abuse by the same perpetrator.
Children who
witness domestic violence also suffer social and mental health problems as a
result.
The
Political Consequences of Child Abuse ~ Alice Miller tells
us that people subjected to mistreatment in childhood may go on
insisting all their lives that beatings are harmless and
corporal punishment is salutary although there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Recognizing and identifying patterns caused by abuse
~The process of moving beyond your abuse involves an exchange.
You will need to exchange the lies that abuse taught you about
yourself, the world and God, for truth.
Violence
Against Children Worldwide ~ In every region of the world, in
almost every aspect of their lives, children are subject to
unconscionable violence, most often perpetrated by the very
individuals charged with their safety and well-being.
