India and US - III

[Guest]

http://www.americanhumane.org/site/D...f?docID=3 381

Child abuse and neglect are everywhere
In 2003, an estimated 906,000 children were reported and investigated to be
confirmed victims of actual abuse or neglect situations. In other cases, reports may have been made about possible abuse, but there may not have been enough information for substantiation (USDHHS, 2005).

It is estimated that 1,500 children died as a result of abuse or neglect in 2003. The majority—almost 79%—were three years of age or younger. Neglect accounted for more than one-third (35.6%) of all fatalities (USDHHS, 2005).

Violent crime is a reality for many of our children
More than 25% of violent crime victims known to police are juveniles; children and young adults are nine times more likely to be victims of a violent crime than are older adults (CDF, 2004).

It is estimated that in 30% to 60% of households in which either domestic violence or child maltreatment is identified, it is likely that both forms of abuse
exist (Bragg, 2003).

In a study of 100 women who were victims of domestic violence, 54% reported that their partner had either hurt or killed the family pets, and 62% of this group reported that their children were exposed to their pets’ abuse (Ascione, 2000, as cited in Ascione, 2001).

In 2003, 2,911 children and teens were killed by gunfire in the United States
(CDF, 2004).

The lack of adequate health care affects the well-being of children 314,077 infants born in the United States in 2002 were of low birth weight (i.e., less than 5.5 pounds). Low birth-weight babies have a high probability of experiencing developmental problems (Annie E. Casey, 2005).

Although early prenatal care has increased significantly over the past five years, 17.3% of babies born in 2002 were to mothers who did not receive prenatal care (CDF, 2004).

In 2002, 27,500 babies in the United Stated died before their first birthday (CDF,2004).

In 2002, approximately 9.3 million children in this country had no health care insurance. This figure would be even higher if not for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) which insures 5.8 million children who do not have health insurance and do not qualify for Medicaid (CDF, 2004).

Children’s educational services are also falling short of expectations

Only three out of five eligible children in the U.S. are enrolled in Head Start programs (CDF, 2004). (my note: bush has since cut this program)

Only 31% of fourth graders can read at or above their grade level (CDF, 2004).

Poverty and homelessness are pervasive problems among America’s children.

In 2002, 12.1 million children—one in six—lived in poverty, meaning their families lived below the federal poverty level of $18,392 per year for a fourperson family. Further, 1.6 million families live below the federal poverty level despite the fact that the head of the household had full-time, year-round employment (CDF, 2004).

Thirty-two percent of children in single-parent families were poor, compared to 7% of children in married-couple families (Annie E. Casey, 2005).

The 2000 census indicates that 31 million children lived in financially stressed households which were paying at or above the federal unaffordable housing standard (i.e., housing costs should be no more than 1/3 of income). From 1997 to 2002, the number of low to moderate income working families paying more than half of their income for housing or living in substandard units, or both, rose from 3 million to 4.8 million—a 60% increase (CDF, 2004).

In 2001, more than 23 million Americans sought emergency food assistance from food banks, church pantries, soup kitchens, meal sites, and shelters (America’s Second Harvest, 2001).

Of the 23.3 million needy people seeking emergency food assistance in the U.S., more than 9 million are children (America’s Second Harvest, 2001).

References:
America’s Second Harvest (2001). Hunger in America. Chicago: Author.
Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2005). KIDS COUNT Data Book: State Profiles of Child Well-being. Retrieved from http://www.aecf.org/kidscount/sld/index.jsp
Ascione, F. (2001, September). Animal Abuse and Youth Violence: Juvenile Justice Bulletin.
Bragg, H. L. (2003). Child Abuse and Neglect User Manual Series: Child Protection in Families Experiencing Domestic Violence. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office
Center on Hunger and Poverty (2003). Fast Facts about Hunger. Retrieved from http://www.centeronhunger.org/facts.html
Children’s Defense Fund. (2004). The State of America’s Children. Washington, DC:Author. National Center for Education Statistics. (2004). Digest of Education Statistics, 2004.
Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d...res/fig_05.asp .
National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome. (2005). Medical Facts. Retrieved from http://www.dontshake.com/Audience.as...e=MedicalFacts
Answers.htm.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth, and Families. (2005). Child Maltreatment 2003. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. (1999). Blending Perspectives and Building Common Ground: A Report to Congress on Substance Abuse and Child Protection. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.