11 Facts About Child Abuse

1. Approximately 5 children die every day because of child abuse. 
    
2. 1 out of 3 girls and 1 out of 5 boys will be sexually abused before they reach age 18.
    
3. 90 percent of child sexual abuse victims know the perpetrator in some way. 68 percent are abused by a family member.
    
4. Most children become victims of abuse and neglect at 18 months or younger.
    
5. In 2010, 1,537 children died of abuse or neglect.
   • 79.4 percent were under the age of 4.
   • 47.7 percent were under the age of 1.
      
6. Boys (48.5 percent) and girls (51.2 percent) become victims at nearly the same rate.
    
7. 3.6 million cases of child abuse are reported every year in the U.S. And the number of children involved in these reports is 6 million.
    
8. Abused and neglected children are 11 times more likely to engage in criminal behavior as an adult.
    
9. About 80 percent of 21-year-olds who were abused as children met criteria for at least one psychological disorder.
    
10. 14 percent of all men and 36 percent of all women in prison were abused as children.
     
11. Abused children are less likely to practice safe sex, putting them at greater risk for STDs. They’re also 25 percent more likely to experience teen pregnancy.

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Sources: Safe Horizon, Child Help, Facts About Child Abuse