| Child Abuse and Neglect | ||
|---|---|---|
| Source Methodological Considerations | ||
| 1994 | 1271 child abuse and neglect related fatalities were reported. Put another way, this was 3.5 deaths per day in the U.S., or one death every 7 hours. 88% of those fatalities were under 5 years of age, 46% were under one year of age. The cause of death was broken down as follows: 42% neglect, 54% physical abuse, and 4% from a combination of the two. About 45% of the fatalities occurred to children already known to CPS agencies as current or prior clients. 3,140,000 children were reported for child abuse and neglect to CPS agencies in the U.S. This represents a 4.5% increase over the number from the previous year. 1,036,000 children were substantiated as victims of child maltreatment, or about 16 out of every 1,000 U.S. (Compare to rates for rape: 160 children out of 10,000, only 2 women out of 10,000) | National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse |