We will continue to encourage states to do everything they can to prevent child abuse and neglect. We must remain committed to ensuring that all children live in safe, permanent and loving homes. These additional resources would help the department intensify its efforts to stop child abuse by helping states and enabling children to more quickly be adopted into safe, stable families when that is the best option. The Promoting Safe and Stable Families program is one of several in the President's proposed budget that seeks to improve the lives of America's children. In a trend that began six years ago, the number of victimized children has decreased approximately 19.2 percent from a record of 1,018,692 in 1993.
Parents continue to be the main perpetrators of child maltreatment.
Female parents were identified as the perpetrators of neglect and physical abuse for the highest percentage of child victims. In contrast, male parents were identified as the perpetrators of sexual abuse for the highest percentage of victims. These patterns are basically unchanged since the last reporting period. The number of child fatalities caused by maltreatment remained unchanged at about 1,100. The department is planning a number of activities in observance of Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month.