child abuse and neglect, child abuse statistics


It's shocking but true, according to official U.S. government statistics, between October, 2005 and September, 2006, 905,000 U.S. children aged 18 or younger were maltreated by someone. That's almost a million young people who are victims of child abuse and neglect. And this is just what gets reported, I'm afraid that what we learn from child abuse statistics is only a very incomplete picture of what might actually be going on. There were more than 3.6 million cases of child abuse and neglect reported in 2006. And one of the most horrifying aspects of the whole child abuse and neglect phenomenon is how much this abuse is directed at infants and really small children. It's heartbreaking to learn of babies only a week old shaken to death, or children under a year of age being beaten, kicked, bitten, burned, or just plain neglected by mentally ill or drug-addicted parents. I certainly hope that everyone reading this is conscious of just what a serious problem child abuse and neglect is. If you know or even suspect that a child is being abused, you are obligated to notify the relevant authorities, the local police, CPS, or other child-protective agencies. Child abuse is no joke, and it's in everyone's best interests to find it, report it, and help eradicate it.