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Child Maltreatment Prevention Home|Violence Prevention|Injury Center|CDC

Child Maltreatment Prevention

Child maltreatment includes all types of abuse and neglect of a child under the age of 18 by a parent, caregiver, or another person in a custodial role (e.g., clergy, coach, teacher). There are four common types of abuse:

• Physical Abuse
• Sexual Abuse
• Emotional Abuse
• Neglect

CDC's research and programs work to understand the problem of child maltreatment and prevent it before it begins.

Data & Statistics

• The total lifetime cost of child maltreatment is $124 billion each year.1
• More than 3 million referrals of child maltreatment are received by state and local agencies each year—that's nearly 6 referrals every minute.2

In The Spotlight

• Essentials for Childhood
• Read our Director's View Blog
• Economic Cost of Child Abuse
• Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study
• Public Health Leadership Initiative
• Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome
• Injury Center Priority: Preventing Child Maltreatment

Popular Publications & Articles

• OJJDP-CDC NatSCEV BulletinsThe National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV) is the largest, most comprehensive survey on youth victimization incidence and prevalence conducted in the United States. NatSCEV is a joint effort funded by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and carried out by the University of New Hampshire's Crimes against Children Research Center. Research bulletins out of this partnership are available at theOffice of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) website
• Child Maltreatment: Facts at a Glance  [PDF 113KB]This data sheet proves up-to-date data and statistics on child maltreatment.
• Child Maltreatment Surveillance
  Uniform Definitions for Public Health and Recommended Data Elements
• Preventing Child Maltreatment: Program Activities Guide
• Understanding Child Maltreatment  [PDF 175KB]This fact sheet provides a basic overview of child maltreatment. It is intended for the general public.
• Pediatric Abusive Head Trauma: Recommended Definitions for Public Health Surveillance and Research
• Preventing Child Abuse Within Youth-serving Organizations

More Publications

Additional Resources

• Better Start: Child Maltreatment Prevention as a Public Health Priority  [PDF 703 KB]
• Child Maltreatment 2010  [PDF 4MB]
• Child Welfare Information Gateway
• National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-A-CHILD
• World Report on Violence and Health  [PDF 176KB]

More

Child Maltreatment Topics

• Consequences
• Definitions
• Data Sources
• Prevention Strategies
• Publications

• Risk and Protective Factors
• Translation
• Additional Resources

References

1. Fang X, Brown DS, Florence C, Mercy J. The economic burden of child maltreatment in the United States and implications for prevention. Child Abuse and Neglect. January 2012.
2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Administration on Children, Youth, and Families (ACF). Child maltreatment 2011 [online]. Washington (DC): Government Printing Office; 2012. Available from: Child Maltreatment 2011