Every hour of every day, there is allegation of child abuse in Tennessee. Unfortunately, child abuse is a problem in every county and community across Tennessee.
1 in 4 girls is sexually abused before the age of 18.- 1 in 6 boys is sexually abused before the age of 18.
- 1 in 5 children are solicited sexually while on the internet.
- Nearly 70% of all reported sexual assaults (including assaults on adults) occur to children ages 17 and under.
- An estimated 39 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse exist in America today.
In Tennessee:
- In 2012, there were 59,592 cases of abuse and neglect investigated by child protective services within the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services.
- 7,570 of those cases were determined to be true (indicated), involving over 10,108 unique child victims.
- The indicated cases involved 15,015 allegations of harm and 8,938 unique perpetrators
- The reported maltreatment in these cases were as follows:
- Drug Exposed 41%
- Sexual Abuse 23%
- Lack of Supervision 13 %
- Physical Abuse 10%
- Environmental Neglect 5%
- Psychological Harm 2%
- Medical Maltreatment 1.5%
Nationally, the statistics are still staggering
- More than 800,000 children are confirmed as victims of abuse or neglect each year in the U.S.
- Neglect is the most common form of child maltreatment, followed by physical abuse.
- Younger children (ages 0-6) are the most vulnerable to abuse.
- Perpetrators are often family members, friends, and acquaintances. 95% of all victims know their perpetrators.
