protect kids
678k reasons to
A National Campaign To Increase Awareness of the Victimization of Children within the United States
"Our children are our greatest treasure. They are our future.
Those who abuse them tear at the fabric of our society and weaken our nation."
~Nelson Mandela
Top Societal Challenges Stem from Child Abuse
CHILD
MALTREATMENT
ADVERSE CHILDHOOD
EXPERIENCES
TOP SOCIETAL
CHALLENGES
The familial cycles of child maltreatment and it's connection to social issues are undeniable. Including big issues like substance abuse, mental health, crime, & human trafficking. We must look at the scope of the child maltreatment statistics as it correlates to the Adverse Childhood Experiences study, to fully understand the long-term implications. When we ignore our most vulnerable children, we enable the reactive destruction of our communities.
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“So many of society’s problems are directly linked to foster care outcomes, it is shocking.”
Kevin Smith (District Judge from Wichita, KS)
Child Maltreatment Statistics
Child Maltreatment Stats
8 MILLION REPORTS
each year
From these reports, formal investigations completed by Child Protective Services are completed for over 3.5 million children each year.
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Since 2010, official child maltreatment reports are up by over 32%, yet there is a 5% reduction in children receiving protective care.
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Mandated reporters provide almost 70% of all official reports. Causing reduction of reports by over 50% during COVID-19.
Child Maltreatment Stats
OVER 1,800 CHILDREN DIE
each year
From the nearly 80% of victims who stay in their abusive situations, over 1,800 of them will die as a direct result of their abuse or neglect within 12 months of the child welfare investigation.
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The majority of fatalities are at the hands of their own parents, with women accounting for more than half of all abuse reports.
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Boys have a higher fatality rate than girls.
Child Maltreatment Stats
678,000 VERIFIED VICTIMS
each year
From the 3.5 million investigations, Child Welfare Investigators verify that over 678,000 children are victims of abuse & neglect, each year.
The greatest number of victims are under the age of four. The most common reason is neglect, most often correlated to parental substance abuse.
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Most victims are only added to this list after a significant number of official child maltreatment reports have been made.
Child Maltreatment Stats
80% DEATHS ARE LITTLES
under the age of 4
From the 1,800 children who die each year, over 80% of them were very young children, under the age of four. And nearly half of those littles ones were just infants at the time of their horrific death.
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Over 70% of the children who were killed were as a resulted of severe and prolonged neglect. Additionally, nearly 50% of those who were killed suffered the horrors of sever, unimaginable physical abuse.
Child Maltreatment Stats
80% OF VICTIMS STAY
in abusive situations
From the 678,000 victims, nearly 80% of the children do not receive protective care. Yet they remain in their abusive situations with loose to no oversight by child protective services.
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Despite an increase of over 30% in child maltreatment reports and nearly a 15% increase in the number of child fatalities (since 2010) the number of children receiving protective care has decreased by almost 10%. Resulting in more children survering the horrors of abuse.
Child Maltreatment Stats
LACK OF SAFE HOMES
creates increased need
The number one cited need by child welfare professionals nationwide is a lack of frontline families who are ready to provide safe homes.
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There are less than 200,000 foster families licensed to serve over 650,000 children already in protective care. Over 50% of those families are lost each year, primarily due to families not knowing how to navigate the complexities of the system.
Top Societal Challenges
Abuse Correlation Stats
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Approx. 23 Million in the U.S.A.
2/3 of all addicts report that they were victims of systemic and prolonged childhood abuse and/or neglect.
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78% of all new child maltreatment cases are due to severe neglect, which most often occurs due to prolonged parental substance abuse.
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Children who grow up around substance abuse, are x3 more likely to experience physical or sexual abuse. They are also x4 more likely to experience severe neglect over their piers.
Abuse Correlation Stats
SEXUAL ABUSE
860,000 convicted sex offenders in U.S.A.
1-in-3 teens on the street will be lured into prostitution within 48 hours of leaving home.
A household with a history of child maltreatment, cause a child to be x10 more likely to be a victim of sexual abuse over their piers.
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1-in-3 girls and 1-in-5 boys are officially reported as victims of sexual abuse. 60% of victims have never told anyone.
Abuse Correlation Stats
VIOLENT CRIME
1.2 Million Each Year
Child maltreatment doubles the probability that victims will engage in some form of crime as an adult.
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Nearly 70% of all incarcerated male felons reported some form of early childhood abuse. Most reported that abuses occurred before the age of 12, and the most common form of maltreatment was physical abuse.
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Children within protective care remain at high risk from being institutionalized when placed in group homes or have more than 5+ placement changes.
Abuse Correlation Stats
EXTREME VIOLENCE
3 million domestic violence reports / year
1-in-3 children exposed to prolonged abuse will grow up to abuse their own children.
Girls who grow up in a violent home are 200% more likely to be victimized as adults.
Boys who grow up in a violent home are more than twice as likely to become a perpetrator of abuse themselves once they become an adult.
Abuse Correlation Stats
SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS
Approx. 13.1 Million in the U.S.A.
80% of young adults who reported childhood maltreatment met the criteria for at least one mental health diagnosis.
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Abused children are x2 more likely to suffer from PTSD than U.S. war veterans according to brain scans.
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The younger the child is during severe maltreatment the more devastating the effects on their brain & emotional development.
Emotional abuse causes psychological & nervous system damage like physical abuse.
Abuse Correlation Stats
HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Up to 50,000 victims within the U.S.A
Over 60% of all human trafficking victims within the U.S.A. have a history of child maltreatment and child protective services.
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Over 88% are runaways with severe maltreatment history and no family to return to once rescued.
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Over 14% of all missing children nationwide are suspected to be trafficked.
You Can be a Voice of Advocacy for a Child in Need!
Our nation is filled with vulnerable children that are abused, neglected, victimized, abandoned, or forgotten. These children need advocates! Those who will step up and speak for them.
We are here to empower individuals to confidently and effectively advocate for children by using all of the child-centered core competencies at the right time, in the right situations, with the right people.
