The data indicate that in 1996 child protective services agencies investigated more than 2 million reports that alleged maltreatment of more than 3 million children. It is estimated that approximately two-thirds of substantiated or indicated reports were from professional sources (education, social services, law enforcement, and medicine). Child protective services agencies determined that approximately 1 million children were identified as victims of substantiated or indicated abuse or neglect in 1996, an approximate 18-percent increase since 1990. The national rate of victimization was 15 victims per 1,000 children in the population. More than half (52 percent) of all victims suffered neglect, and almost a quarter (24 percent) suffered physical abuse. Approximately 12 percent of the victims were sexually abused. Fifty-three percent of all victims were white, and 27 percent were African-American. An estimated 1,077 child maltreatment fatalities occurred in the 50 States and the District of Columbia in 1996. Based on data from a subset of States, children younger than age 4 accounted for 76 percent of fatalities. Data show that 77 percent of perpetrators of child maltreatment were parents, and an additional 11 percent were other relatives of the victim. The report estimates that over 80 percent of all perpetrators were under age 40 and that almost two-thirds were females. An estimated three-quarters of neglect and medical neglect cases were associated with female perpetrators, and almost three-quarters of sexual abuse cases were associated with male perpetrators. Data are presented by State. 6 figures and 8 tables