By ConnectSafely
With all the attention on cyberbullying, sexting, “stranger danger,” and other online related crimes, it’s important to know that kids face the biggest risks at home among people they know — often siblings, peers or caregivers.
A study from the Crimes Against Children Research Center found that more than a third of children 17 and younger “experienced a physical assault, primarily at the hands of siblings and peers.” The study was published online by JAMA Pediatrics.
The study found that:
- 37.3% experienced a physical assault during the study year, “primarily from siblings (21.8%) and peers (15.6%).”
- An assault resulting in injury occurred in 9.3%
- 40.9% of children and youth had more than one direct experience of violence, crime or abuse;
- 10.1% had six or more and 1.2% had 10 or more. The study also found that 5% experienced a sexual offense; 1.4% experienced a sexual assault.
- Girls ages 14 to 17 were the group at highest risk for sexual assault, with 16.4% experiencing a sexual offense and 4.6% experiencing sexual assault or sexual abuse,” according to the researchers.
- The study found that 15.2% of children and youth experienced maltreatment by a caregiver, including 5% who experienced physical abuse.
- 24..5% witnessed violence in the family or community, with 8.4% witnessing a family assault.
The study, supervised by Dr. David Finkelhor of the University of New Hampshire, Durham was based on data from a telephone surveys of 4,000 children and adolescents.