National Association of Attorneys General

In 2006, 1,530 children died of maltreatment; every day approximately four children die of maltreatment in this country. Children less than 4 years old account for 78.0% of these fatalities. An estimated 3.6 million children were accepted by state and local child protective service agencies for investigation of child maltreatment (a rate of 48.3 per 1,000 children in the United States (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2005). Those who survive face a lifetime of potential emotional, physical, and sexual difficulties directly caused by the abuse including a three times greater likelihood of developing psychiatric disorders or abusing drugs and alcohol (Kendler, Heath, Neale, Kessler, & Eaves, 2000).