Child Abuse Statistics

The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) reported an estimated 1,400 child fatalities in 2002. This translates to a rate of 1.98 children per 100,000 children in the general population. NCANDS defines "child fatality" as the death of a child caused by an injury resulting from abuse or neglect, or where abuse or neglect were contributing factors.

• Each week, child protective services (CPS) agencies throughout the United States receive more than 50,000 reports of suspected child abuse or neglect.
• Approximately 2,500 children within the US are victims of child abuse each day.
• At least 4 out of 5 victims are abused by at least one parent.
• 69% of the homicides of women are those in which the perpetrator was a current or former husband, boyfriend, or partner of the victim.
• It is estimated that 25% of workplace problems such as absenteeism, lower productivity, turnover and excessive use of medical benefits are due to family violence.
• Each year, medical expenses from domestic violence total at least $3 to $5 billion. Businesses forfeit another $100 million in lost wages, sick leave, absenteeism and non-productivity.
• Over two-thirds of violent victimizations against women were committed by someone known to them.
• Annually, compared to males, females experienced over 10 times as many incidents of violence by an intimate.
• 75% of the calls to law enforcement for intervention and assistance in domestic violence occur after separation from batterers.
• There are 1,500 shelters for battered women in the United States. There are 3,800 animal shelters.
• Twenty years ago, the first battered women's shelter in the United States, Women's Advocates, was opened in St. Paul, Minnesota. This program is still in existence today.