1 in 50 US Infants Mistreated

Study finds parents 'not being able to really care' for newborns
By Caroline Zimmerman,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 3, 2008 6:30 PM CDT
1 in 50 US Infants Mistreated
65% of those who report cases of abuse or neglect to protective services are medical practitioners who find evidence of maltreatment at check-ups.    (Shutterstock)

About 1 in 50 US children under age 1 is a victim of nonfatal neglect or abuse—particularly among the uninsured, a survey finds. One-third of the 91,000 victims were a week or younger when the maltreatment occurred. "It's not primarily kids being hit, but parents … not being able to really take care for their kids," one expert said.

The neglect and abuse was mostly reported by medical professionals who found newborns weren't developing properly, the AP reports. Neglect is defined by a failure to provide basic needs like housing, clothing, food and adequate medical care. "Things like abandonment and drug addiction would qualify as neglect, not things like parents learning to be parents," one doctor said. (More child abuse stories.)

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