Child Abuse and Neglect Statistics

It is difficult to know the scope of how much child abuse and neglect really affects one of the most vulnerable members of our communities. Abused children are often isolated, especially when the trauma involves a caregiver they depend on every day. The harm many children face are not recognized or reported by adults.

• 1 in 4 girls experience child sexual abuse at some point in childhood. 1

• 1 in 13 boys experience child sexual abuse at some point in childhood. 2

• 91% of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by someone the child or the child’s family knows. 2

• The odds of attempting suicide are six times higher for men and nine times higher for women with a history of child abuse than those without a history of child sexual abuse. 3

Sources:

1. Pereda, N., Guilera, G., Forns, M., & Gómez-Benito, J. (2009). The prevalence of child sexual abuse in community and student samples: A meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 29, 328–338. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2009.02.007

2. Finkelhor, D., & Shattuck, A. (2012). Characteristics of crimes against juveniles. Durham, NH: Crimes Against Children Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/pdf/CV26_Revised%20Characteristics%20 of%20Crimes%20against%20Juveniles_5-2-12.pdf

3. Bebbington, P. E., Cooper, C., Minot, S., Brugha, T. S., Jenkins, R., Meltzer, H., & Dennis, M. (2009). Suicide attempts, gender, and sexual abuse: Data from the 2000 British Psychiatric Morbidity Survey. American Journal of Psychiatry, 166, 1135-1140.