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 Why Prevention?
Prevalence of Child Abuse
- Child abuse transcends all ethnicities, cultures, religions, socio-economic and education levels.
- In 2006, an estimated 4 children died every day due to child abuse or neglect, totaling 1,530 nationwide.
- 78% of victims of child abuse related fatalities were 1 to 3 years old; 3/4 of deaths were caused by one or more parent(s).
- Every year an estimated 905,000 children are victims of maltreatment; 18,000 are permanently disabled.
- Head trauma is the leading cause of child abuse death among babies. The 100% preventable Shaken Baby Syndrome is a major cause of death, where 25% of victims die and the majority of survivors suffer brain damage.
Orange County
- In 2008, more than 40,700 child abuse cases were reported to Orange County authorities.
- An average of 111 children are reported as victims of child abuse every day.
- Thirty percent of all reported cases involved children under the age of five.
Domestic Violence
- Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury for women ages 15 to 44.
- In 2000, 33.5% of the murders of women were committed by intimate partners.
- 21% of women report being raped or physically or sexually assaulted in her life.
- Domestic violence may be the single major precursor to child abuse and neglect fatalities in the United States, according to the U.S. Advisory Board.
Child Sexual Abuse
- 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before the age of 18.
- Nearly 70% of all reported sexual assaults (including assaults on adults) occur to children ages 17 and under.
- 80-90% of the offenders are family members or close friends of the family.
- Over 30% of victims never disclose the experience to others.
- A typical child sex offender molests an average of 117 children.
Teen Pregnancy
- The U.S. has the highest teen birth rate in the industrialized world, and California has one of the highest in the nation.
- Every year around 750,000 teenagers will get pregnant and 2/3 of them will not graduate from high school.
- Children born to teen mothers are one-third more likely to be low birth weight babies and have a 50% higher rate of infant mortality than children over the age of 20.
Consequences
- 80% of young adults who had been abused met the diagnostic criteria for at least 1 psychiatric disorder at the age of 21 (including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, & post-traumatic stress disorder).
- Society as a whole bears the costs of child abuse and neglect; the annual direct and indirect costs of child abuse and neglect is estimated at $103.8 billion dollars.
- Teen pregnancy costs the United States at least $7 billion annually.
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