History of National Child Abuse Prevention Month

The week of June 6-12, 1982 was resolved by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives as the first National Child Abuse Prevention Week. The following year (1983), April was proclaimed the first National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Since then, child abuse and neglect awareness activities have been promoted across the country during April of each year.

In 1989, the Blue Ribbon Campaign to Prevent Child Abuse had its early beginnings as a Virginia grandmother’s tribute to her grandson who died as a result of abuse. She tied a blue ribbon to the antenna of her car as a way to remember him and alert her community to the tragedy of child abuse. The Blue Ribbon Campaign has since expanded across the country, and many wear blue ribbons each April in memory of those who have died as a result of child abuse.

Child Abuse Statistics

In 2006, U.S. state and local child protective services (CPS) investigated 3.6 million reports of children being abused or neglected:

*CPS classified more than 900,000 (12.1 per 1,000) of these children as victims. Nearly three quarters of them had no history of prior victimization.

*64% of the children were classified as victims of child neglect;7% as victims of emotional abuse, 9% as victims of sexual abuse and 16% as victims of physical abuse.

*In 2006 more than 1,500 children ages 0 to 17 died from abuse and neglect.

In 2006, CPS reported the approximate rates of child maltreatment victims:

24.4 per 1,000 for 0 to 1 year olds
14.2 per 1,000 for 1 to 3 year olds
13.5 per 1,000 for 4 to 7 year-olds
10.8 per 1,000 for 8 to 11 year-olds
10.2 per 1,000 for 12 to 15 year olds
6.3 per 1,000 for 16 to 17 year olds