Regardless of the type of abuse, every abused child is a human tragedy and the numbers are staggering.
General
- Nationwide, nearly 900,000 children are found to have been abused or neglected each year – that’s more than 100 children every hour of every day.
- On Long Island alone, more than 5,000 children are found to have been abused or neglected each year – more than 10 children a day.
- Nationwide, one in four girls and one in seven boys will be victims of sexual abuse by the age of 18.
- On Long Island alone, more than 800 incidents of child sexual abuse are reported each year.
- Nationwide, more than 1,400 children die each year due to child abuse and neglect – roughly one child every six-and-one-half hours.
Bullying
- Nationwide, one in 10 students in grades six through 10 report being bullied "sometimes" or "weekly."
- In the average classroom of 20 students or more, two to three students spend every day in fear of being bullied, harassed or worse.
- On Long Island, CAPS keeps track of the prevalence of bullying behavior with its annual survey of middle school-age students.
Internet Safety
- A national study suggests half of all children with Internet access either have been or know someone who has been the victim of cyber-bullying – or have been cyber-bullies themselves.
- One in five children already has received an online sexual solicitation.
- Cases of child sexual exploitation via the Internet have increased more than 2,000 percent since 1996.
