SIMPLY CHILD ABUSE STATISTICS ARE SHOCKING

International and U.S. Child Abuse information

Child abuse does not discriminate based on gender, social standing, ethnicity, or religion. The child abuse statistics gathered on Ark of Hope for Children's site are intended to bring a sobering reality to the plight of victimized children. International child abuse statistics are very difficult to come by for a number of reasons not the least of which is the difficulty in tracing and keeping track of numbers even in "financially sound" countries like the U.S. and Europe. The time is long past for the worlds' adults to take a stand for our children. We must be willing to first throw ourselves in harm's way to save them, but then to provide the long term care these victimized children so desperately deserve. Ark of Hope for Children is dedicated to providing care as you can read on other pages on our site.

 

Please consider these Global Statistics on Child Abuse;

• 40 million children subjected to abuse each year  
• Suicide is the third leading cause of death among adolescents worldwide 
• 30% of severely disabled children in special homes in the Ukraine die before 18 years of age 
• Approximately 20% of women and 5–10% of men report being sexually abused as children, while 25–50% of all children report being physically abused. 
• Statistics indicate that 3 million young girls are subjected to genital mutilation every year

 

U.S. Child Abuse statistics - the "worst in the industrialized world"

The United states is much more capable of gathering and maintaining statistics of all types. However, in the case of child abuse record keeping, the statistics are staggering and incomprehensible. 

 

Child Physical Abuse;

Acts considered physical abuse are punching, beating, kicking, biting, burning, breaking of bones, hair pulling, and shaking an infant. Bruises in areas that usually do not occur during normal play = cheeks, ears, mouth, buttocks, thighs, stomach, and back.

 

Child neglect; 

Neglect makes up for 78% of all cases of child abuse, and is greatly underreported and often unnoticed by others who care for the child. Neglect includes abandonment, inadequate nutrition, medical neglect, being left unattended in a car, and clothing and hygiene.

 

Child Sexual Abuse;

• A rape occurring every two minutes
• 1 in 3 girls will be sexually molested before the age 17
• 1 in 6 boys will be sexually molested before the age 17 (1 in 5 in Canada)
• A sex offender will molest an average of 120 victims, most of whom do not report it
• 90% of molesters abuse children they know
• Oftentimes, a sexually abused child is abused in other ways

 

United States general child abuse statistics

• Every 10 seconds a child is abused or raped
• 3.3 million child abuse reports in 2010
• For every report 2 more go unreported = many millions abused annually
• 61,000 reports to Child Protective services per week = 6 per minute
• Of 1.5 million runaways 85% are fleeing some form of abuse
• Only 10% of abusers do not know their abuser well
• Abuse victims = about 48% male, 52% female
• Every race and religion sees child abuse

 

Death and suicide;

• 1,850 children die a year from some form of child abuse = 7+ children a day in the U.S. alone!
• 80% of the children that die each day are under the age of four
• TODAY 6 children will commit suicide due to child abuse
• Estimated 60% of child deaths caused by child abuse are not recorded as such on death certificates

 

Affects of UNTREATED child abuse;

• 38% increase arrest rate for violent crimes
• 84% of all prison inmates had been abused as a child
• 59% more likely to be arrested as a juvenile
• 28% more likely to be arrested as an adult
• 30% more likely to commit violent crime
• 65%+ of people in treatment for drug abuse have been maltreated as a child
• 25% less likely to practice safe sex, putting them at a greater risk for STD's
• 82% CAN grow up to be pedophiles themselves
• 80% meet criteria for at least one psychological disorder as adults
• Long-term consequences such as chronic illness due to untreated wounds

 

Foster & Kinship Care 

In the United States children that have suffered from the more severe forms of abuse are removed from their parents care. parents then either have to prove correction of their abusive behaviors or lose their parental rights.

 

3 years after “aging out” of foster care

• 20,000 youth annually "age out" of the system at 18 years old
• Estimated 60% or more of prison populations were abused and/or ex-foster children
• Up to 60% have experienced homelessness
• Estimated 70 to 75% end up in prostitution, on drugs or dealing drugs