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Child Abuse and Victimization

In 1999, there were 67,000 runaway or thrownaway episodes among youth between the ages of 7 to 11 years old, many of whom were in danger because of the risk of sexual exploitation; the criminal activity taking place in the area where they had "run" to; their extremely young age; and/or the risk of physical or sexual abuse when they returned home. (National Incidence Studies of Missing Runaway, and Thrownaway Children, October 2002. Runaway/Thrownaway Children: National Estimates and Characteristics. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.)

Of the approximately 879,000 children found to be victims of child maltreatment in 2000, 63 percent were neglected including medically neglected, 19 percent were physical abused, 10 percent were sexual abused, and 8 percent were psychologically maltreated. (Children's Bureau, Administration of Children, Youth, and Families. April 2002. National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System: Summary of Key Findings From Calendar Year 2000. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources. The Administration for Children and Families.)

Approximately 1200 children died of abuse or neglect in 2000 at a rate of 1.71 children per 100,000 children in the population. Forty-four percent of the children who died from abuse were under one year of age and 85 percent of the children were younger than 6 years of age. (Ibid.)

Victimization rates in 2000 decreased as the age of children increased: there were 15.7 victims per 1000 children in the one to three age group and 5.7 victims per 1000 in the 16 to 17 age group. (Ibid.)

Victimization rates for male and female children in 2000 were similar in every category except for sexual abuse where the rate for females was higher. There were 1.7 victims sexually abused per 1000 female
children and 0.4 victims sexually abused per 1000 male children. (Ibid.)

Parents were the perpetrators in 84 percent of the reported cases of child abuse in 2000. Mothers acting alone neglected their children in 47 percent of the cases and physically abused them in 32 percent of the cases. Fathers acting alone were responsible for 22 percent of the cases of sexual abuse. (Ibid.)

While the rate of child victims per 1000 children in the population has been decreasing since 1993, from 15.3 victims per 1000 to 11.8 victims per 1000 in 1999, the victimization rate increased in 2000 to 12.2 victims per 1000 children. (Ibid.)

Between July 1998 and June 2001, the CyberTipline operated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has received a total of 44,303 reports of suspicious online predatory behavior towards children. There have been 192 reports of cybercontact involving child pornography; 4026 reports of instances of online enticement; 1,880 reports involving child sexual molestation; 779 reports involving child prostitution; and 426 reports involving child sex tourism. (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention [OJJDP], January 2002. Protecting Children in Cyberspace: The ICAC Task Force Program. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.)

Research into non-family child abductions found that in 1999, 58,200 children were forced by a non-family perpetrator to go to an isolated place without parental permission for a substantial period of time. Forty percent of the children were threatened with a weapon, 46 percent were sexually assaulted, 31 percent were physically assaulted, 7 percent were robbed, and 4 percent were held for ransom. (National Incidence Studies of Missing Runaway, and Thrownaway Children October 2002. Non family Abducted Children: National Estimates and Characteristics. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.)

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National Crime Victims' Rights Week: Fulfill the Promise April 6–12, 2003
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