What You Should Know About Child Abuse…

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in its first report on maltreatment of babies up to age one, reports that 91,278 children under the age of one were physically abused or neglected in 2006. About a third of the maltreated infants, 29,881, were abused or neglected before they were a week old [nytimes.com].
• Maltreatment is the third-leading cause of death of American children under the age of 3.
• A child abuse report is placed every 10 seconds.
• About 75,000 calls of suspected abuse come into San Diego’s Child Abuse Hotline each year.
• Each day in America an average of 3 children will lose their lives as a result of child abuse.
• At a rate of 12.8 per 1,000, San Diego County has a higher rate of child abuse and neglect than state averages.
• One-third of abused and neglected children will later abuse their own children.

What You Should Know About Foster Youth…

• 50% of youth leaving foster care are unemployed.
• 33% receive public assistance.
• 60% of girls become pregnant within a few years after leaving the foster care system.
• Only 50% will receive a high school diploma.
• Many young children who enter the foster care system are further traumatized as they are placed in a different home than their brother or sister.
• Approximately 300 foster youth will emancipate from the foster care system each year in San Diego County, most with no support or plan in place to secure a healthy future.
• 50% of former foster youth will be homeless during their first two years after exiting foster care.

…this is why we do what we do and this is why we need your help.
 

    
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Sources: nytimes.com, cdc.gov, ncsonline.org, uwsd.org,jlflspac.org, kidscenter.org, childhelp.org, childwelfare.gov