Be aware of the facts.   

According to the U.S. Children's Bureau's 2013 Child Maltreatment Report:

• "Nationally, four-fifths (79.5%) of victims were neglected, 18.0 percent were physically abused, 9.0 percent were sexually abused and 8.7 percent were psychologically maltreated."
• "For 2013, a nationally estimated 1,520 children died of abuse and neglect at a rate of 2.04 children per 100,000 children in the national population."

Sexual Abuse 

• Experts estimate that 1 in 10 children are sexually abused before their 18th birthdays. 
• Based on the number of children under 18 in Charlottesville/Albemarle (U.S. Census Bureau), 2,852 children in our community are being sexually abused. 
• 1 in 5 children are sexually solicited while on the Internet.
• Nearly 70% of all reported sexual assaults (including assault on adults) occur to children ages 17 and under.
• The median age for reported sexual abuse is 9 years old.
• As many as 60% of children are abused by family members or adults the family trusts; 40% by older or more powerful children.
• About 90% of children are abused by someone they know.
• Most child victims never report the abuse.
• Sexually abused children who keep it a secret or who tell but are not believed are at greater risk for psychological, emotional, social and physical problems, often lasting into adulthood.
• People who abuse children look and act just like everyone else.
• Those who sexually abuse children are drawn to settings where they can gain easy access to children, such as sports leagues, faith centers, clubs, and schools.
• In the Adverse Childhood Experiences study, 20.7% of the 17,337 adult participants reported that they had been physically abused as children.

Physical Abuse or Neglect

• According to the U.S. Children's Bureau's 2013 Child Maltreatment Report, physical neglect and abuse were the most common type of substantiated child abuse. 
• In FY 2013, there were 122,159 substantiated cases of physical abuse and 539,576 substantiated cases of physical neglect.  In Virginia, there were 1,633 substantiated cases of physical abuse and 3,847 substantiated cases of physical neglect. 
• In the Adverse Childhood Experiences study, 28% of the 17,337 adult participants reported that they had been physically abused as children.

Emotional Abuse

• In a 2012 report, the American Academy of Pediatrics stated that "psychological maltreatment is one of the most common forms of child abuse, but also one of the most difficult to identify and prevent."  
• Where sexual abuse or physical abuse or neglect is present, emotional abuse is almost always present. 
• In the Adverse Childhood Experiences study, 10.6% of the 17,337 adult participants reported that they had been physically abused as children.

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