Trends in Childhood Violence and Abuse Exposure
Bullying, sexual assault and other violence against children and youth declined substantially between 2003 and 2008, according to the national study conducted by the Crimes against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire.
Two of the largest declines -- in bullying and sexual assault -- were issues that have been aggressively targeted by school programs and other prevention efforts in recent years. The percentage of children reporting physical bullying in the past year decreased from 22 percent to 15 percent, and the percentage reporting a sexual assault decreased from about 3 percent to 2 percent.
The study did not find declines in physical abuse and neglect by caregivers, but it did find a decline in psychological abuse. Thefts of children’s property also declined, but robbery was one of the few offenses to show an increase.
The findings were based on two nationally representative samples of children ages 2 to 17, both funded by the U.S. Department of Justice. The study was published in the March 2010 issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.
