Child abuse and neglect

What is it?

According to the Child Abuse and Prevention Treatment Act (CAPTA), child abuse and neglect is: Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation; or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.

Prevalence

For the first time in Mennonite Church USA, we have data regarding the incidence of sexual abuse or violation experienced by church members.  According to the 2006 Church Member Profile, Mennonite Church USA church members report experiencing sexual abuse or violation, in the following percentages: 

This means that more than 1 in 5 women in MC USA congregations have experienced sexual abuse or violation, and most while they were children or teens.  For men, the incidence of abuse experienced before the age of 20 is 5.5%.  For society at large, the figures range from 17-25% for women and 3-16% for men, depending on the study and how people define sexual abuse or assault.*

In 2007, 794,000 children were victims of maltreatment in the U.S.; that is 10.6 per 1,000 children. An estimated 3.5 million children received a CPS investigation, meaning they were likely at-risk for abuse or neglect. Children of all ages are abused and neglected. Tragically, young children are disproportionately represented among the victims. In 2007, nearly one-third (32%) of all victims of child abuse were younger than 4 years old. Girls of all ages are slightly more likely to be victimized than are boys. (Source: Child Welfare Information Gateway)

How do I report?

Call either Child Protective Services (CPS) or your local police (911). Most states have a toll-free child abuse hotline - look in a phone book or on the Internet. You could also call the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1 800 4ACHILD (1 800 422-4453) and they will direct you.

*This study was conducted by the Young Center for the Study of Anabaptist and Pietist Groups and included responses from 2216 randomly selected members of Mennonite Church USA.  The analysis was conducted by Conrad L. Kanagy and paid for by the MCC U.S. Women's Advocacy Program. For society at large, the lower figures come from the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (http://www.rainn.org/get-information/statistics/sexual-assault-victims) and the higher ones from the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study, conducted 1995-1997 (http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/ACE/prevalence.htm).