In 1997, over 3 million children were reported for child abuse and neglect to child protective service agencies in the United States. This figure represents a 1.7% increase over the number of children reported in 1996. Child abuse reporting levels have increased 41% between 1988 and 1997. In 1997, 1,054,000 children were confirmed by Child Protective Services as victims of child maltreatment. This represents 15 out of every 1,000 U.S. citizens (Wang).

A recent survey commissioned by Prevent Child Abuse America found the following when surveying parents randomly by telephone. Thirty seven percent of American parents had reported insulting or swearing at their children within the past twelve months. Fifty percent of the parents had neglected their child's emotional needs, with sixty percent of the respondents indicating that this neglect took place "almost every d

- In general, 70% of men who abuse their female partners also abuse their children.

- Exposing children to pornographic material

What makes people abuse children? It is difficult to imagine that any person would intentionally inflict harm on his or her own child. Many times, physical abuse is a result of excessive discipline or physical punishment that is inappropriate for the child's age. The parent may simply be unaware of the magnitude of force with which he or she strikes a child. Most parents want to be good parents but sometimes lose control and are unable to cope. Factors which contribute to child abuse include the immaturity of parents, lack of parenting skills, unrealistic expectations about children's behavior and capabilities, a parent's own negative childhood experience, social isolation, frequent family crises and drug or alcohol problems. Child abuse is a symptom that parents are having difficulty coping with their situation.

Improving the ability of child protective service agencies to assist their client by reducing caseloads, expanding training of caseworkers, and funding more treatment services for victims will help reduce fatalities. Child protective services, however, cannot prevent all fatalities single-handedly. Other formal institutions such as schools and hospitals as well as informal, personal networks should play an active role in identifying and assessing families at risk of abusive or neglectful behavior. Also, alcohol and drug treatment services need to be expanded and made more accessible to pregnant and parenting women.

- Boys who witness family violence are more likely as adults to abuse their partners than are boys from non-violent homes. Girls who witness their mothers being abused have a higher rate of being abused as adults.

Other types of abuse are usually identifiable because marks or other physical evidence are left; however, emotional abuse can be very hard to diagnose or even to define. In some instances, an emotionally abused child will show no signs of abuse. For this reason, emotional abuse is the most difficult form of child maltreatment to identify and stop. This type of abuse leaves hidden scars that manifest themselves in numerous ways. Insecurity, poor self-esteem, destructive behavior, angry acts, withdrawal, poor development of basic skills, alcohol or drug abuse, suicide and difficulty forming relationships can all be possible results of emotional abuse.

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Approximate Word count = 5469
Approximate Pages = 22 (250 words per page double spaced)