Child Abuse in the USA
More Common Than You Think
The facts speak for themselves…
- 3 million reports of child abuse are made annually in the US
- 5 children, in the US, die every day due to child abuse
- The US has the worst record of any industrialized nation
- A child abuse report is made every ten seconds
- An estimated 50-60% of child fatalities due to abuse are not recorded as such
- About 80% of child abuse fatalities are children under age 4
- Approximately ⅔of those in treatment for substance abuse report having been abused as children
Sex Trafficking
- 1000% increase in complaints of child prostitution from 2004 to 2008
- 300,000 youth in the United States were at risk of being sexually exploited for commercial use in 2009
- As of June 2013, CyberTipline has received more than 1.9 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation since it was launched in 1998
- 2013: The FBI launched a 72-hour operation to rescued children and teens from sex trafficking. 105 children were rescued. Most were between ages 13-17. The youngest victim was 9 years old
Internet safety
- 93% percent of teens ages 12 to 17 go online
- 80% of parents with teens are concerned about how their child interacts online with people they do not know
- 53% of parents are “very”concerned
- 75% of victims in Internet-initiated sex crimes are girls. Boys who are gay or questioning their sexuality are also at particular risk
- 5% of Internet users ages 10 to 17 talk online to unknown people about sex
- 39% of online child molesters possess child pornography
- 27% of incidents involved solicitors asking children for sexual photographs of themselves
- 1/25 children ages 10 to 17 received an online sexual solicitation where the solicitor tried to make offline contact
Signs of Abuse
- Unexplained injuries
- Lack of hygiene or personal care
- Behavioral changes
- Inappropriate sexual behaviors
- Fear of home
- Changes in academic performance
- Be vigilant and look for the signs of abuse in children you know.
References
- http://www.missingkids.com/KeyFacts
- http://www.childhelp-usa.net/pages/statistics
- http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41878.pdf
- http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/pdf/Am%20Psy%202-08.pdf
- http://www.crisisaid.org/ICAPDF/Trafficking/traffickstats.pdf
- http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/Teens-and-Privacy.aspx
- http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/slavery-america-undeniable-truth/story?id=5330502
- http://www.nbcnews.com/id/28415693/ns/us_news-life/t/child-slavery-now-bei
- http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/07/29/fbi-rescues-at-least-105-child-prostitutes-in-nationwide-undercover-operation/
- http://www.womensfundingnetwork.org/resource/past-articles/enslaved-in-america-sex-trafficking-in-the-united-states
- http://www.safehorizon.org/index/what-we-do-2/child-abuse–incest-55/10-signs-of-child-abuse–neglect-305.html
