National Abuse Statistics:
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Nearly five children die in America every day from abuse and neglect.1
1 in 3 girls and 1 in 5 boys are sexually abused before the age of 18.2
The median age for reported abuse is 9 years old.3
Nearly 70% of all reported sexual assaults are on children ages 17 and under.4
80% of child abuse victims have been maltreated by one or both parents.2
There are 40 million survivors of child sexual abuse in America today.3
Child Abuse Statistics for SungateKids:
SungateKids serves Colorado’s 18th Judicial District, which is comprised of Arapahoe,
Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties. In 2000, the U.S. Census reported a population
total for these four counties of 689,692. The current population, according to the 2009
Kids Count Colorado Report, the population for these four counties is 855,700. These
figures indicate a growth rate of 19% from 2000 to 2008. And although growth has
slowed somewhat, the growth trend is continuing, at least for Arapahoe and Douglas
counties.
Children under the age of 18 make up about 27% of the population and are, of course,
the target population for SungateKids. In 2007 (the latest available data), in the four
counties served by SungateKids, there were over 9,700 referrals to county Departments
of Human Services regarding allegations of child abuse and neglect. Of these, about
9% (or 873) were cases involving sexual abuse. Those are the cases most likely to need
1
Every Child Matters Education Fund (2009). We Can Do Better: Child Abuse and Neglect Deaths in
the U.S.. http://www.everychildmatters.org/National/Campaigns/We-Can-Do-Better.html
ACE Study – Prevalence – Adverse Childhood Experiences –
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/ace/prevalence.htm
3 Putnam, F. (2003). Ten-year research update review: Child sexual abuse. Journal of the
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 42 , 269-278.
4 U.S. Department of Justice (2001). Internet crimes against children. OVC Bulletin. Washington,
DC: US Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime.
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the services of SungateKids. In child sexual abuse cases, there is often little or no
physical evidence, so the verbal disclosure of the child becomes the paramount piece
of evidence in the case.
Demographic details:
1.
Gender of children:
Female:
73%
Male:
27%
2.
Age of children at first contact with SungateKids:
0-6: 27%
7-12: 36%
13-18+: 37%
3.
Types of abuse reported:
Sexual abuse:
91%
Physical abuse: 9%
Neglect:
37%
Witness to
Violence: 8%
(Please note that there is overlap between the categories, and many cases involve
more than one type of abuse)
4.
Race/Ethnicity of children:
White: 59%
African-Am/Black:
13%
Hispanic/Latino:
12%
Asian/PI: 2%
Other/Mixed Race:
14%
5.
Alleged offenders: breakdown by relationship to child
Parent: 16%
Stepparent: 26%
Parent's boy/girl
friend: 31%
Other relative: 8%
Other known
person: 16%
Unknown: 3%
Distribution of Services:
The primary service that SungateKids provides is the Investigative Interview Program.
Geographic distribution of interview services is as follows:
Aurora - 337
Other Arap Cty 181
Douglas Cty - 133
Elbert Cty - 24
Lincoln Cty - 14
Other - 19
For more information, please visit our website at www.sungatekids.org or contact Diana
Goldberg, Executive Director.