Throughout most of human history, infectious diseases killed half of all children. With the advancements in technology, medicine and public health practices, we now worry about other things regarding our children.
It has been said that the times we live in have changed dramatically, and that is true. Gone are the days when most people in this country will send their child outside for the day with instructions to be back home by dinner. This is primarily because of the perception that the world is no longer a safe place for children and young people, with predators lurking around every corner. What does a child or young person really need to be protected from, and what strategies are effective? If you are a parent, do you have a realistic view of the dangers that your child will probably face?
Denial is a great pastime for many parents. Denial is a comfortable place to be. It soothes some of the realities of life. However, if you cannot imagine some of the horrific things that can happen to children, you will never be able to protect against them. Volumes have been written on the topic of child safety. At Assault Prevention, we dedicate a significant amount of time looking at statistics and research in an effort to determine what the actual risks are more info. We don't just look for statistical significance. We examine the details and methods behind significant events and consider the possible consequences. We then apply practical solutions that will work in real-life under a variety of conditions.
One caveat of this article is that we chose to focus on risks that will be brought upon your children by perpetrators rather than self-induced dangers such as:
• The average age of the first use of alcohol is age 12.
• The average age of first marijuana use is age 14.
We wanted to find the greatest threats your child is likely to face while growing into adolescence and young adulthood. We identified those threats and present them here. This does not mean the threats presented in this article are inclusive. For example, in one sample study it was determined that almost 25% of youth between birth and the age of 17 will experience a property offense. This is a large, statistically relevant number, but the consequences are not life threatening nor are they usually lifelong.
Additionally, we attempt to put these risks in context. For instance, although any death of a child is horrific, when you read that the 3rd leading cause of death amongst toddlers is homicide, it may leave you with the perception that homicide amongst toddlers is a bigger problem than it actually is. Put into proper context, that "3rd leading cause of death" represents 398 deaths of about 20 million toddlers.
Violent crime is defined as murder, rape & sexual assault, robbery and assault. Violent crime has the greatest potential for injury, death and victimization effects that are far-reaching. Teens and young adults between ages 12 and 19 experience the highest violent crime rates. But what about those kids under the age of twelve? Let's take a look at what the statistics tell us.
There are approximately 310 million people in the United States. Approximately 77 million or about 25% of this population is between the ages of 0 and 19. There are a number of organizations that gather and publish victimization statistics within this age group.
When we began to look at these different organizations, we discovered wide variances with some of the figures being published in reporting categories; like missing children. The explanation for some of the variances has to do with how some incidents are reported and how some statistics are categorized. For instance, most missing children are taken by relatives and recovered. That explanation is not always provided when "missing children" statistics are discussed. The term itself is scary to most parents but the fact is that some kids run away, some are taken within the context of domestic disputes and others just wander off somewhere to play for a while. If I tell you one million kids are reported missing each year with no context, you may be left with the impression that kids are being kidnapped at an alarming rate. Kids are taken each year and some are found dead. The issue of missing children needs to be taken seriously but put into proper context.
After all, if organizations that gather statistics cannot agree, how is a parent supposed to know what to be wary of?
In an attempt to get to the bottom of this, we reviewed at a great number of sources but focused on these.
1. Violence, Abuse, and Crime Exposure in a National Sample of Children and Youth by David Finkelhor, Heather Turner, Richard Ormrod, and Sherry L. Hamby; all PhD's.
• The stated objective: "The objective of this research was to obtain national estimates of exposure to the full spectrum of the childhood violence, abuse, and crime victimizations relevant to both clinical practice and public-policy approaches to the problem."
• The stated method: "The study was based on a cross-sectional national telephone survey that involved a target sample of 4549 children aged 0 to 17 years."
2. The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) series, previously called the National Crime Survey (NCS), has been collecting data on personal and household victimization since 1973. An ongoing survey of a nationally representative sample of residential addresses, the NCVS is the primary source of information on the characteristics of criminal victimization and on the number and types of crimes not reported to law enforcement authorities. It provides the largest national forum for victims to describe the impact of crime and characteristics of violent offenders.
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