How Violence Affects Our Children (10:30 am)

I've decided to share the statistics below in order to give the public an idea of the exact devastation that violence causes America's youth. Its a very wide spread epidemic. And it won't go away unless we do something.

These statistics are not exaggerated. Their source is reliable, coming from a website forum that fosters coordination, collaboration, and integration of Federal efforts to collect and report data on conditions and trends for children and families.

~ Joanna

Reference: ChildStats.gov - Forum on Child & Family Statistics (http://www.childstats.ed.gov/)

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Violence affects the quality of life of young people who experience, witness, or feel threatened by it. In addition to the direct physical harm suffered by young victims of serious violence, such violence can adversely affect victims’ mental health and development and increase the likelihood that they themselves will commit acts of serious violence.

Recent statistics on child victimization suggests it is a crisis of national importance. Each year in America it is estimated that:

• 1 million children are substantiated victims of abuse or neglect.
• 130,000 children are sexually abused.
• 2,000 children die as a result of abuse or neglect.
• 450,000 children are considered runaways.
• 127,100 children are considered thrown-aways.
• 354,100 children are abducted by parents.
• 3,200 to 4,600 children are abducted by strangers.
• 3 million children witness violence in their homes.
• Large proportions of inner-city children witness violence in their communities.

Findings for 2004-2005

• Among intentional injuries in 2004, the homicide rate for youths ages 15 - 19 was 9 deaths per 100,000 youth - unchanged since 2000. Firearms accounted for four out of five homicides!

• In 2005 the rate at which youths, ages 12-17, were victims of serious violent crimes was 14 crimes per 1,000 juveniles, totaling to about 350,600 such crimes within that year.

• These same youths, ages 12–17, were more than twice as likely as adults to be victims of serious violent crimes.

• In 2005, for children ages 1–14, homicide was the 4th leading cause of death.

• Currently, after spousal killing, children killed by their parents are the most frequent type of family homicide.

• Injury accounts for close to 80 percent of adolescent deaths whom, compared with younger children, have much higher mortality rates. Overall these injuries are more likely to be from firearms and motor vehicle traffic accidents (preventable ones).