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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, April 4, 2006
Contact: ACF Press Office
(202) 401-9215
HHS Releases Latest National Statistics
On Child Abuse and Neglect
WASHINGTON, D.C. --- An estimated 872,000 children across the country were victims of abuse or neglect in 2004 according to national data released today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This number, which is 34,000 lower than last year’s statistic, indicates that about 11.9 out of every 1,000 children were victims of abuse or neglect, compared to last year’s victimization rate of 12.4 per 1,000 children.
“The news is encouraging for children, our most valuable resource, who are deserving of safe and stable homes,” said HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt. “As the rates of abuse and neglect drop nationwide, we must find solutions to continue this trend.”
The statistics released today, at the start of Child Abuse Prevention Month, are based on information collected through the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System. The data show that child protective service agencies received about three million reports of possible maltreatment in 2004. Of the 872,000 substantiated cases of maltreatment of children, the majority (64.5 percent) involved cases of neglect. For 2004, an estimated 1,490 children died; more than 80 percent of them were under four years. More than one-third of the fatalities were attributed to neglect.
“The decline in the number of children who are victims of maltreatment is a positive development,” said HHS Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, Wade F. Horn, Ph.D. “Nevertheless, we cannot tolerate the abuse of even one child. The Bush Administration will continue to work closely in partnership with states to provide the support that all parents, caregivers and communities need to assure safety, permanency and well-being for every child.”
For fiscal year 2006, $42.4 million in funding is available for community-based child abuse prevention programs plus $27 million to help improve states’ child protective services. The Bush Administration has asked Congress to allow states to use federal foster care funds for a broader array of services, including child abuse prevention and post-adoption services. The proposal is designed to create greater flexibility so states are better equipped to prevent child abuse.
The full report, “Child Maltreatment 2004,” is available at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/pubs/cm04/index.htm. The community resource packet for child abuse prevention is available at http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/topics/prevention/index.cfm.
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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at www.hhs.gov/news