bution is as follows:Victim's age % of victims of maltreatmentInfants: Less that 1 year old6.7%Preschool: 1-4 years old25.0%Younger School Age: 5-11 years old41.6%Older School Age: 12-18 years old 24.9% The age of the child was unknown for 1% of victims. More than half of all victims were younger than 8 years old .Using data from 43 states, about 77% of perpetrators were parents, 11% were other relatives, 2% were other caretakers such as foster parents, and about 10% were classified as non-caretakers, (including other household members not responsible for care or supervision of the child, friends, neighbors), or strangers (American Humane Association, 1999). The NCANDS also estimates the number of children who died as a result of abuse. Based on data from 50 states it is projected that 1,077 died, 77% of these children were under the age of 3.The most alarming fact about these numbers, however, is that most researchers believe the number of child abuse cases is under-reported. "Hampton and Newberger (1985) found that the hospitals they sampled reported less than half of the cases of serious child maltreatment to CPS" (Rubin, 1992). Several factors that influence the decision as to whether to make an official report of child maltreatment have been identified. Lack of sufficient evidence that maltreatment has occurred and lack of seriousness of the possible abuse or neglect are often cited as the most important reasons for not reporting (Rubin, 1992). This clearly shows that child abuse is a severe problem, and that its scope is much wider than most people believe it to be.The effects of child abuse can be severe and long lasting. A number of reasonably well-established sequelae of child abuse have been identified. These include: lowered IQ, external locus of control, insecure attachment, delay in acquiring interna...
