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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, April 1, 2005
Contact: ACF Press Office
(202) 401-9215
HHS RELEASES LATEST NATIONAL STATISTICS
ON CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT
An estimated 906,000 children across the country were victims of abuse or neglect in 2003 according to national data released today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The statistics indicate that about 12.4 out of every 1,000 children were victims of abuse or neglect, a rate comparable to the previous year's victimization rate of 12.3 out of 1,000 children.
“All children deserve to be cherished and free from abuse or neglect,” said Dr. Wade F. Horn, HHS assistant secretary for children and families. "President Bush is dedicated to working with states to help protect children from harm while strengthening and supporting families."
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 2.9 million reports of possible maltreatment in 2003. Of the 906,000 substantiated cases of maltreatment of children, the majority involved cases of neglect. For 2003, an estimated 1,500 children died due to child abuse or neglect, more than three-quarters of them less than four years of age.
President George W. Bush has increased funding for community-based child abuse prevention programs from $33.2 million in fiscal year 2004 to $42.9 million in fiscal year 2005. The Bush Administration has also helped improve states’ child protective services by increasing funding from $21.9 million in fiscal year 2004 to $27.3 million in fiscal year 2005. In the President’s first term, Congress approved a $100 million a year increase in funding for the Safe and Stable Families program, another source of funds for child abuse prevention activities.
In his 2006 request to Congress, President Bush has proposed that states be allowed 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 2003,” is available at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/publications/cmreports.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