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Child abuse and maltreatment is not a new societal problem. Since the beginning of time, no class of people has been subjected to greater abuse and neglect than children. More than one million children are confirmed each year as victims of child abuse and neglect by child protective service agencies in the United States. Every day nearly four children die as a result of abuse and neglect and most are under the age of five. In New York State there were close to 83,000 substantiated cases of child abuse and maltreatment in 2008 following investigation of nearly 161,000 reports. Of course many more cases are never brought to light.  Download PCANY's Report on the Costs of Child Abuse According to a recent report by the Violence Against Children Research Center, crimes against youth are less likely to be reported to the police; youths have a much greater chance of being sexually assaulted than adults; and youths are more likely to be injured during victimization. Nationwide, in one-third of all sexual assaults reported to law enforcement, the victim was under the age of twelve. About 20% of inmates serving time in state prisons for violent crimes in 1991 had been convicted of a crime against a child victim. Two-thirds of all prisoners convicted of rape or sexual assault committed their crime against a child. During the past two decades, there has been significant research on the effects of abuse and maltreatment on children. While some children have suffered terrible childhoods and managed to become successful adults, the vast majority of research has demonstrated that the consequences of child abuse are grave, damaging and often spill over into a person’s adult life. An abused child suffers from the abuse as well as from the long-term effects of the abuse. Adverse effects have been identified in maltreated children’s physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development. The failure to address child abuse through preventive measures not only harms a million children each year, it imposes a tremendous cost to society. Like most states, New York spends a considerable amount of fiscal and human resources to treat the numerous consequences of child abuse and maltreatment. The failure to invest in prevention results in a significantly greater amount of resources needed to treat the outcomes. All-in-all, New York spends nearly $3.5 billion treating the consequences of child maltreatment, and less than $30 million preventing it. |
We are the New York State chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America. Call 1-800-CHILDREN to reach your state's chapter. |
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| Prevent Child Abuse NY | 33 Elk Street, 2nd Floor | Albany, NY 12207 | | P: 518-445-1273 | 1-800-CHILDREN | F: 518-436-5889 | | |
