In 2001, the latest year the statistics are available, an estimated 903,000 children were victims of abuse or neglect. That's 12.4 out of every 1,000 children.
The numbers, from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, are gathered from all the child protective agencies in the country. The agencies received a total of 2,672,000 reports of possible abuse or neglect. Of these reports, 903,000 were actual cases of neglect or abuse. Over 1,300 children died from neglect or abuse.
The numbers for 2001 were about the same as for 2000. However, they are 19% lower than the same figures for 1993, the year the number of cases peaked at 15.3 per every 1,000 children.
American Family Physician, 5/03
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