Child Abuse: A National Epidemic

Abstract
"Child abuse and neglect in the United States now represents a national emergency... Protection of children from harm is not just an ethical duty; it is a matter of national survival" (U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, 1990). For too many children, child abuse is what they know every day of their lives. Over 2.9 million cases of child abuse were reported last year in this country. Figures do not tell the whole story. Evidence is mounting that child mistreatment is the precursor to many of the major social problems in this culture. Consider these figures:
 95% of child abusers were themselves abused as children;
 80% of substance abusers were abused as children;
 80% of runaways cite child abuse as a factor;
 78% of our prison population were abused as children;
 95% of prostitutes were sexually abused as children.
Not every child who is abused has problems of this magnitude, but we know child abuse robs far ...