This week, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a new report on child abuse and neglect.  The report follows up on the research of a 1993 report on child abuse by the National Research Council (NRC).  The IOM was asked by the Children’s Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth, and Families to provide an update and reassess the state of research on child abuse 20 years after the first report.

The IOM report finds that there has been significant progress in the areas of child abuse and neglect research.  However, the IOM recommends immediately establishing and implementing a coordinated, national research infrastructure that is supported at the federal level.  In particular, the report identifies that coordinated research should cover four key areas: 1) a national strategic plan; 2) a national surveillance system; 3) a new generation of researchers; and 4) changes in federal and state programmatic and policy response.

The full IOM report can be read online, providing members of the general public the opportunity to understand progress and needs in child abuse and neglect research.  The report begins by defining child abuse as an “act or set of acts or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, or an act or failure to act, which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.”  The IOM also identifies key causes of child abuse and neglect, as well as consequences and the current child welfare system.

According to a release from EurekAlert!, the rates of physical and sexual abuse of children have decreased over the last 20 years.  However, the researchers are unable to identify reasons for this decline.  Additionally, during the same two decade period, the IOM identified that rates of psychological and emotional abuse have risen.  Every year, child protective services (CPS) receives approximately three million referrals for child abuse and neglect cases involving six million children.

One problem identified with estimating the actual rate of abuse is that data from CPS may underestimate the true magnitude of the problem.  In 2011, state CPS agencies encountered approximately 676,000 children, or nine of every 1,000, that were victims of some form of abuse or neglect.  However, some estimates put the rate of abuse at almost double what CPS agencies deal with.  Getting an accurate number is difficult as many cases, particularly those without physical evidence of abuse, may never be reported.