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Child Abuse Information |
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Good information (including a cost analysis of the effects of child abuse) is also available on the PCAA website by following this LINK. |
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What is Child Abuse |
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Child abuse is any maltreatment of a child that results in harm or injury.
PHYSICAL abuse – an injury to a child that is not an accident; for example, hurting a child by hitting, burning, biting, or shaking.
SEXUAL abuse – any sexual contact with a child, including exhibitionism, photographs or films, or prostitution.
NEGLECT – failure to give the child food, clothing, medical care, shelter, or supervision.
EMOTIONAL abuse and neglect – an abusive parent may scare a child by threatening to leave him or her, or may be severely critical. A neglectful parent may not spend any time with the child or may never show the child any affection.
Call 1-800-CHILDREN for more information or referrals.
Good information (including a cost analysis of the effects of child abuse) is also available on the PCAA website by following this LINK. There is also good information at the Center for Disease Control website. Follow this link to visit their site.
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Know the Warning Signs of Child Abuse |
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Children who are abused may show physical and behavioral signs. Please pay attention to the treatment of children around you. You may be a child’s only lifeline to safety. Child abuse is everyone’s business.
GENERAL SIGNS are present in children who seem:
• Nervous around adults or afraid of certain adults
• Reluctant to go home (for example, coming to school early or staying late)
• Very passive and withdrawn – or aggressive and disruptive
• Tired a lot or complaining of nightmares or insomnia
• Fearful and anxious
• To show sudden changes in behavior or school performance
SOME SIGNS OF PHYSICAL ABUSE
• Unexplained burns, bruises, black eyes, and other injuries
• Apparent fear of a parent or caretaker
• Faded bruises or healing injuries after missing school SOME SIGNS OF
SEXUAL ABUSE
• Difficulty walking or sitting, or other indications of injury in the genital area
• Sexual knowledge or behavior beyond what is normal for age
• Running away from home
SOME SIGNS OF PHYSICAL NEGLECT
• Missing school a lot
• Begging/stealing money or food
• Lacking needed medical or dental care
• Being frequently dirty
• Using alcohol or other drugs
• Saying there is no one at home to take care of them
SOME SIGNS OF EMOTIONAL ABUSE AND NEGLECT
• Acting overly mature or immature for age
• Extreme changes in behavior
• Delays in physical or emotional development
• Attempted suicide
• Lack of emotional attachment to the parent Also, know the
SIGNS OF AN ABUSIVE ADULT
Consider the possibility of abuse if a parent or caretaker:
• Seems unconcerned about the child’s welfare at school or at home
• Denies problems at school or at home, or blames the child for them
• Sees the child as worthless or as a burden
• Avoids discussing the child’s injuries or gives conflicting explanations for them
• Seems isolated from other parents, and school and community activities
• Uses harsh physical discipline or asks other caretakers to use it
• Depends on the child for emotional support
• Abuses alcohol or other drugs
• Seems indifferent to the child
• Seems secretive or tries to isolate the children from other children
• Frequently blames, belittles, or insults the child These signs don’t prove that a child is being abused. But they could be a signal that the child and his or her family need help.
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Child Abuse Statistics |
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The Facts
There are statistics, and there are facts. The fact is that when all children don’t have an equal opportunity for healthy growth and development, we put our future at risk. Since the average age of children reported as neglected or abused is less than six years of age, we are focusing on innovative programs that either prevent or intervene early on. These programs help lay strong foundations for children’s growth and development, reducing the possibility of more serious (and expensive) problems later.
Even though 4,742 Minnesota children were confirmed as neglected or abused in 2009*, using this approach, we are confident we can reduce that number significantly. Statistics show that of these 4,742 children, 70% suffered from neglect. This specific type of chronic maltreatment especially affects a child’s developing brain architecture and causes problems throughout their lifetime.
2009 Minnesota Statistics
Minnesota children are abused and neglected each year. In 2009, 4,742 children were abused and neglected; 44 children suffered life-threatening injuries and 21 children died from maltreatment. Of these abused and neglected children:
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The median age for victims was 6 years old.
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White children accounted for 51 percent of maltreatment victims; African American/black children, 23 percent; American Indian children, 10 percent; Asian and Pacific Islander children, about 1 percent. Children who identified with two or more races accounted for 13 percent. Of approximately 2 percent of the remaining cases, racial background was missing or unknown. Of victims, 11 percent indicated Hispanic ethnicity.
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Seventy-six percent of all alleged offenders were victims’ birth parents. Other relatives, including stepparents, adoptive parents, grandparents and siblings, accounted for 12 percent of offenders. Parents’ companions accounted for 7 percent of offenders. Licensed child care providers, foster parents and facility staff accounted for 2 percent of offenders. Three percent were other nonrelatives. Some children were victims of more than one offender.
Children suffer many types of abuse and neglect. In 2009, counties determined that:
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70 percent of all victims suffered from neglect.
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20 percent of all those maltreated were physically abused.
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16 percent of all victims suffered sexual abuse.
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1 percent of all victims suffered medical neglect.
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1 percent of all victims suffered from emotional or mental abuse.
Some children were victims of more than one form of abuse or neglect. www.dhs.state.mn.us
National 2008 Statistics on Child Abuse and Neglect
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released Child Maltreatment 2008, an annual report of data collected from the States' child protective services (CPS) agencies via the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System. The report provides national and State statistics on topics that include reports of abuse and neglect, child characteristics, fatalities, perpetrators, and services provided to children and families.
According to the new report:
- An estimated 772,000 children were found to be victims of abuse or neglect during 2008, representing a rate of 10.3 per 1,000 children in the population. This number shows a continued decline from 2006, when 905,000 children were found to be victims of maltreatment.
- An estimated 3.3 million referrals were made to CPS agencies in 2008, involving the alleged maltreatment of approximately 6.0 million children.
- Agencies screened in 62.5 percent of the referrals for investigation or assessment; as a result, at least one child was found to be a victim of abuse or neglect in 23.7 percent of those investigations or assessments.
- Of the children who were abused or neglected in 2008, 71.1 percent experienced neglect, 16.1 percent were physically abused, 9.1 percent were sexually abused, and 7.3 percent were emotionally or psychologically maltreated. A child may have suffered from multiple forms of maltreatment and was counted once for each maltreatment type.
- Children in the age group of birth to 1 year had the highest rate of victimization at 21.7 per 1,000 for children of the same age group in the national population.
- An estimated 1,740 children died from abuse or neglect, reflecting a rate of 2.33 deaths per 100,000 children.
- Approximately 80.1 percent of perpetrators were parents, and another 6.5 percent were other relatives.
- An estimated 63.3 percent of victims and 28.5 percent of nonvictims received postinvestigation services, and 20.9 percent of victims and 3.6 percent of nonvictims were placed in foster care.
- Court-appointed representatives were assigned to 14.7 percent of victims.
To download the full report on national and State statistics, visit the Children's Bureau website:
www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/pubs/cm08
Another good resource for information is the Center for Disease Control website. Visit their site by following this link.
Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities: Statistics and Interventions 2008
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Preventing Child Abuse in a Public Place |
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If you see a child being abused in public, do what you can to help:
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Divert the adult’s attention.
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Start a conversation with the adult. Offer sympathy. For example, you could say, “Shopping with children can really try your patience, can’t it?” Talk to the child.
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If the child is acting out or misbehaving, start a friendly conversation to distract him or her. Praise the parent or child.
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Find something positive to say about the child or the parent. For example, “That’s a pretty dress your daughter is wearing. Where did you get it?” Offer to help.
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For example, if a child has been left unattended in a grocery cart, stay near him or her until a caretaker returns. Avoid negative looks or comments.
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This may only increase the adult’s anger, making things worse for the child.
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Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect |
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If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, call child protection services in your Minnesota County or call 1-800-CHILDREN to speak with someone at Prevent Child Abuse Minnesota. The LINK will give you telephone numbers for the Child Protection Services and Child Abuse Prevention Councils in all Minnesota counties.
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1821 University Avenue, Suite 202-S, Saint Paul, MN 55104
(651) 523-0099 phone (651) 523-0380 fax (800) 621-6322 toll free Email: pcamn@pcamn.org
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Copyright © 2006 - Prevent Child Abuse Minnesota - Site development by Jenofenology
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