Who Are the Victims?

Of those children documented as abused in 2006, approximately 66 percent experienced neglect (including medical neglect), 16 percent were physically abused, 9 percent were sexually abused, and 7 percent were emotionally or psychologically abused. In addition, more than 15 percent of victims experienced other types of maltreatment such as abandonment, threats of harm, or congenital drug addiction. Children from birth through age 1 experienced the highest rate of victimization at 24.4 per 1,000 children. In general, rates of victimization were inversely related to the age of the child (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008).