How Many Children are Maltreated? - Perpetrators Of Child Maltreatment

The law considers perpetrators to be those persons who abuse or neglect children under their care. They may be parents, foster parents, other relatives, or other caretakers. In 2002 more than two of five victims (40.3%) were maltreated by their mother acting alone. Another 19.1% experienced maltreatment from their father acting alone. Eighteen percent were maltreated by both parents. About 5.4% of the victims were maltreated by their mother and another person whose relationship with the mother was not known. One percent was maltreated by their father and another person

FIGURE 4.3

whose relationship to the father was not known. Thirteen percent were maltreated by nonparental perpetrators, while 3.2% were maltreated by unknown individuals.

More than three-quarters (77.9%) of perpetrators were under age forty, with one-third between the ages of twenty and twenty-nine. Perpetrators were more likely to be female (58.3%) than male (41.7%).

Parents (including birth parents, adoptive parents, and stepparents) were responsible for the most cases of neglect, followed by child daycare providers and foster parents. Other relatives perpetrated more than a quarter of sexual abuse cases, while residential facility staff and unmarried partners of parents were the most likely to inflict physical abuse on children. (See Figure 4.5.)