How many children are abused each year?
Annually more than 3.5 million children are reported to state and local Child Protective Services (CPS) agencies as victims of child abuse and neglect. In 2007, an estimated 3,535,501 children were accepted as alleged victims of child maltreatment, a rate of 47.2 per 1,000 children in the U.S. population and Puerto Rico. An estimated 794,000 children were substantiated as victims of child abuse and neglect, a rate of 10.6 per 1,000 children in the U.S. population and Puerto Rico. References U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families. Child Maltreatment 2007: (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2009). The report is available by calling the Child Welfare Information Gateway at (800) FYI-3366 or on the Internet.
