Most States define perpetrators of child abuse and neglect as parents and “other caretakers” (such as relatives, babysitters, and foster parents) who have harmed a child in their care. It is important to note that States define the term “caretaker” differently. Harm caused to a child by others (such as acquaintances or strangers) may not be considered “child abuse” but rather may be considered a criminal matter.

According to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System’s most current report, Child Maltreatment 2006, of the approximately 905,000 child abuse and neglect victims in 2006, the largest percentage of perpetrators, nearly 80 percent (79.9%) were parents of the victim, including birth parents, adoptive parents, and stepparents. Other relatives accounted for an additional 6.7 percent, residential staff for 0 .2 percent, and child daycare providers for 0.6 percent. An unmarried partner of a parent accounted for 3.8 percent of perpetrators while a foster parent accounted for 0.4 percent of perpetrators. 

In 2006, approximately 58 percent (57.9%) of child abuse and neglect perpetrators were women and 42 percent (42.1%) were men. For the most part, female perpetrators were younger than male perpetrators; of the women who were perpetrators, more than 40 percent (45.3%) of women were younger than 30 years of age as compared to one-third percent (35.1%) of men.

The full text of Child Maltreatment 2006 is available on the Children’s Bureau website at

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/pubs/cm06/index.htm.