In an effort to make child abuse facts more readily available to the public, I have summarized these 2007 child abuse statistics from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families. As soon as data is available for 2008, I will post a summary of the newest child abuse statistics.

Who were the people who reported child abuse to the authorities?
In 2007, 58% of child abuse or neglect reports were made by professionals, such as teachers, police officers, or social service workers. Neighbors, friends, relatives, and sport coaches comprised the remaining 42%.

Who were the child abuse victims?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates there were 794,000 children who were abused or neglected during 2007. Infants younger than 1 year old comprised the largest group, 21.9 per 1,000 children. There wasn’t a significant difference between male (48.2%) or female (51.5%) victims. 46% of the child abuse / neglect victims were Caucasian, 21% African American and 20% were Hispanic.

What are the statistics for the different types of child abuse?
The most common form of maltreatment (59%) is neglect. Almost 11% were victims of physical abuse while 7.6 % were victims of sexual abuse.

How many children die from abuse or neglect?
It is estimated that 1,760 children died in 2007 from child abuse / neglect, 3/4ths of them under 4 years old.

Who were the abusers?
Parents comprised the largest group, (80%). Women comprised 56.5%, while men comprised 42.4%. Almost 75% of perpetrators were under age 40. Of the parents who committed child abuse, nearly 90% were biological parents to the children they abused.