A Look at Child Abuse in America

Every day three children in the U.S. are murdered by a parent or caretaker. 18,000 are permanently disabled and 565,000 are seriously injured every year. Child abuse kills more children in America than accidental falls, choking on food, suffocation or fires in the home (OCCAPC, sec. 1). The term "child abuse" can be defined as any behavior directed toward a child by a parent, guardian, care giver, other family member, or other adult, that endangers or impairs …

…Parental Alcohol or Other Drug Problems and Child Maltreatment. 8 Nov. 2002 <http://www.preventchildabuse.org/learn_more/research_docs/parental_alcohol.pdf>. Fields, Jason and Lynne M. Casper. “America’s Families and Living Arrangements.” U.S. Census Current Population Reports. June 2001. United States Census Bureau. 10 Nov. 2002 <http://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/p20-537.pdf Substance Abuse or Dependence. 11, Oct. 2002. The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. 9 Nov. 2002 <www.samhsa.gov/oas/2k2/dependence/dependence.htm>.