How can I get help if I am a child or teen who is being abused?

Call the National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453). me kids are afraid to report the abuse because they fear punishment, loss of love, or family dishonor for telling a secret.

The hotline will make sure you are protected from further abuse. They will help you to report the abuse to an agency that will make sure you are safe. The hotline staff members will call Child Protective Services or the police and stay on the line in a three-way call to help you talk to the agency. Even if you have told the person who is abusing you that you will keep a secret about the things you do together, it is okay to call the hotline and get help for yourself.

The hotline can help you find ongoing support from caring adults. It is not your fault that you are being abused, and you need help from other adults to protect your safety. If the abuse is within your own family, you need protection while your family learns new ways to act with each other.

You may wish to learn to protect yourself against someone who may try to abuse you. Several organizations can teach you to say "No" with words and by your actions.

Studies show that child abuse occurs in 30-60% of family violence cases that involve families with children. Source: "The overlap between child maltreatment and woman battering." J.L. Edleson, Violence Against Women, February, 1999

Three children die as a result of child abuse in the home in the United States each day.

Only 1/3 of people report child abuse when faced with an actual situation.

The single, leading cause of death for children ages four and younger is Child abuse and neglect.

On average, child abuse is reported somewhere in the United States every 10 seconds. Based on 2.8 million reports per year. (Please remember, these are only reported cases, not actual occurrences.)

Strangers do not pose the greatest risk of sexual abuse to children; Most children are abused by people they know.

The single, leading cause of death for children ages four and younger is Child abuse and neglect.

Many child molesters also have adult sexual relationships; they do not Child molesters get their sexual gratification only from children.

Each day in the United States, more than 4 children die as a result of child abuse in the home.

In 2003, an estimated 1,500 children died of abuse and neglect-an average of more than 4 children per day. (Victims known to child protective services agencies, which track abuse and neglect in the home.)

More than three-quarters (78.7%) of the children who die are younger than four years of age.

Of these fatalities, 89% were under the age of eight; 43.6 percent of the children were under the age of one.

The rate of infant homicide reached a 30-year high in 2000.

The rate of infant homicide more than doubled from 4.3 homicides per 100,000 children under age one in 1970 to 9.1 per 100,000 children under age one in 2000. This trend occurred during a period in which there was an overall decrease in infant mortality from all sources.

Research studies of infant death data drawn from multiple agency records (e.g., police or social service records) indicate that the actual rate of infant deaths attributable to substantial abuse or neglect of infants and children up to four years of age is more than twice as high as the official rates reported in death certificate data.

Homicide is the leading cause of injury deaths among infants (under one year of age) in the United States.

Infants are most likely to be killed by their mother during the first week of life but are more likely to be killed by a male (usually their father or stepfather) thereafter.

More than 2.9 million reports of possible maltreatment involving children were made to child protective service agencies in calendar year 2003.

The actual incidence of abuse and neglect is estimated to be three times greater than the number reported to authorities.

Child abuse is reported-on average-every 10 seconds. Based on approximately 2.9 million reports per year.

An estimated 906,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect in 2003 (cases substantiated by child protective service agencies).

Nine in 10 Americans polled regard child abuse as a serious problem, yet only 1 in 3 reported abuse when confronted with an actual situation.

In 2003, 48.3% of child victims were male; 51.7% of victims were female. 83.9% of victims were abused by a parent. Types of maltreatment included: Neglect (including medical neglect), 61%; Physical Abuse, 19%; Sexual Abuse, 10%; Psychological Maltreatment, 5%; Medical Maltreatment, 2%; Other (includes abandonment and congenital drug addiction figures reported by some states), 17%.  (NOTE: Percentages total more than 100% because children may have been victims of more than one type of abuse.)

About Child Abuse

What are the causes of child abuse?

Why would someone abuse a child? What kind of person abuses a child? Not all abuse is deliberate or intended. Several factors in a person's life may combine to move them toward abusing a child:

• general stress
• the stress of having children in the family, when one didn't have children before
• dealing with a child who has a disability or difficult behaviors
• the stress of caring for someone besides oneself
• a personal history of being abused (childhood trauma)
• alcohol or drug use
• marital conflict
• unemployment

No one has been able to predict which of these factors will cause someone to abuse a child. A significant factor is that abuse tends to be intergenerational - those who were abused as children are more likely to repeat the act when they become parents or caretakers.

In addition, many forms of abuse arise from ignorance, isolation, or benign neglect. Sometimes a cultural tradition leads to abuse, for example, such beliefs as:

• children are property
• parents (especially males) have the right to control their children in any way they wish
• children need to be toughened up to face the hardships of life
• girls need to be genitally mutilated to assure virginity and later marriage.

What are the signs and symptoms of child abuse?

If you suspect child abuse, but aren't sure, look for clusters of the following physical and behavioral signs.

Some signs of physical abuse

• Unexplained burns, cuts, bruises, or welts in the shape of an object
• Bite marks
• Anti-social behavior
• Problems in school
• Fear of adults
• Drug or alcohol abuse
• Self-destructive or suicidal behavior
• Depression or poor self-image

Some signs of emotional abuse

• Apathy
• Depression
• Hostility
• Lack of concentration
• Eating disorders

Some signs of sexual abuse

• Inappropriate interest in or knowledge of sexual acts
• Seductiveness
• Avoidance of things related to sexuality, or rejection of own genitals or bodies
• Nightmares and bed wetting
• Drastic changes in appetite
• Overcompliance or excessive aggression
• Fear of a particular person or family member
• Withdrawal, secretiveness, or depression
• Suicidal behavior
• Eating disorders
• Self-injury

Sometimes there are no obvious physical signs of sexual abuse, and a physician must examine the child to confirm the abuse.

Some signs of neglect

• Unsuitable clothing for weather
• Being dirty or unbathed
• Extreme hunger
• Apparent lack of supervision

Some abused children may become:

• Aggressive
• Disruptive
• Hyperactive
• Impulsive
• Negative

Possible Signs and Symptoms of Domestic Violence in Children and Adolescents

More than half of the school-age children in domestic violence shelters show clinical levels of anxiety or posttraumatic stress disorder. Without treatment, these children are at significant risk for delinquency, substance abuse, school drop-out, and difficulties in their own relationships.

Children may exhibit a wide range of reactions to exposure to violence in their home. Younger children (e.g., preschool and kindergarten) often, do not understand the meaning of the abuse they observe and tend to believe that they "must have done something wrong." Self-blame can precipitate feelings of guilt, worry, and anxiety. It is important to consider that children, especially younger children, typically do not have the ability to adequately express their feelings verbally. Consequently, the manifestation of these emotions are often behavioral. Children may become withdrawn, non-verbal, and exhibit regressed behaviors such as clinging and whining. Eating and sleeping difficulty, concentration problems, generalized anxiety, and physical complaints (e.g., headaches) are all common.

Unlike younger children, the pre-adolescent child typically has greater ability to externalize negative emotions (i.e., to verbalize). In addition to symptoms commonly seen with childhood anxiety (e.g., sleep problems, eating disturbance, nightmares), victims within this age group may show a loss of interest in social activities, low self-concept, withdrawal or avoidance of peer relations, rebelliousness and oppositional-defiant behavior in the school setting. It is also common to observe temper tantrums, irritability, frequent fighting at school or between siblings, lashing out at objects, treating pets cruelly or abusively, threatening of peers or siblings with violence (e.g., "give me a pen or I will smack you"), and attempts to gain attention through hitting, kicking, or choking peers and/or family members. Incidentally, girls are more likely to exhibit withdrawal and unfortunately, run the risk of being "missed" as a child in need of support.

Adolescents are at risk of academic failure, school drop-out, delinquency, and substance abuse. Some investigators have suggested that a history of family violence or abuse is the most significant difference between delinquent and non delinquent youth. An estimated 1/5 to 1/3 of all teenagers who are involved in dating relationships are regularly abusing or being abused by their partners verbally, mentally, emotionally, sexually, and/or physically. Between 30% and 50% of dating relationships can exhibit the same cycle of escalating violence as marital relationships.