This document provides information about child abuse and neglect in Arizona. It discusses the different types of child maltreatment including physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, emotional abuse, and exploitation. It also outlines the results of abuse, details on child victims in Arizona in 2009, common perpetrators, and requirements for reporting abuse or neglect. Key statistics include over 32,000 screened in reports and 30 child fatalities in Arizona that year. The document emphasizes that certain professionals and individuals who have contact with children are required by law to report any reasonable suspicions of abuse or neglect.

1. Abuse and Neglect
All Data Collected is from 2009 Unless Stated Otherwise
ITC

2. Overview
CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT
RESULTS OF ABUSE
ABUSE IN ARIZONA
THE CHILD VICTIMS
TYPES OF MALTREATMENT
CHILD FATALITIES
PERPETRATORS
REPORTING ABUSE OR
NEGLECT

3. CHILD ABUSE AND
NEGLECT
Physical abuse includes non-accidental physical injuries
such as bruises, broken bones, burns, cuts or other
injuries.
Sexual abuse occurs when sex acts are performed with
children. Using children in pornography, prostitution or
other types of sexual activity is also sexual abuse.
Neglect occurs when children are not given necessary care for
illness or injury. Neglect also includes leaving young children
unsupervised or alone, locked in or out of the house, or without
adequate clothing, food, or shelter. Allowing children to live in a
very dirty house which could be a health hazard may also be
considered neglect.

4. CHILD ABUSE AND
NEGLECT
Emotional abuse of a child is evidenced by severe
anxiety, depression, withdrawal or improper aggressive
behavior as diagnosed by a medical doctor or
psychologist, and caused by the acts or omissions of the
parent or caretaker.
Exploitation means use of a child by a parent, guardian
or custodian for material gain.
Abandonment means the failure of the parent to provide
reasonable support and to maintain regular contact with
the child, including providing normal supervision, when
such failure is intentional and continues for an indefinite
period.

5. RESULTS OF ABUSE
• Abused children have an increased risk for adverse
health effects and behaviors as adults
– including smoking, alcoholism, drug abuse, suicide, sexual
promiscuity, and certain chronic diseases.
• Child abuse can also lead to improper brain
development.
• Acts of sexual assault can lead to the spread of
sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS, effect
reproductive health, and cause severe emotional
distress and withdraw.

6. THE CHILD VICTIMS
For 2009, more than 3.6 million (duplicate)
children were the subjects of at least one
report and received one or more dispositions.
The duplicate count of child victims counts a
child each time he or she was found to be a
victim. The unique count of child victims
counts a child only once.
The duplicate victim rate was 10.1 victims
per 1,000 children in the population, while the
unique victim rate was 9.3 victims per 1,000
children in the population. The number of
nationally estimated duplicate victims was
763,000; the number of nationally estimated
unique victims was 702,000.

7. THE CHILD VICTIMS
Victims in the age group of birth to 1 year
had the highest rate of victimization at
20.6 per 1,000 children of the same age
group in the national population.
Victimization was split between the sexes
with boys accounting for 48.2 percent and
girls accounting for 51.1 percent.
Eighty-seven percent of victims were
comprised of three races or ethnicities—
African-American (22.3%), Hispanic
(20.7%), and White (44.0%).

8. REPORTS BY
DISPOSITION
Arizona
•Child Population
-1,732,019
•Screened in Reports
-32,136
•Screened out reports
-7,466
•Total reports
33,050

9. TYPES OF MALTREATMENT
• As in prior years, the greatest proportion of children suffered from neglect. A child may
have suffered from multiple forms of maltreatment and was counted once for each
maltreatment type. CPS investigations or assessments determined that for unique
victims:

10. CHILD FATALITIES FROM
ABUSE OR NEGLECT
Child fatalities are the most tragic consequence of maltreatment. Yet,
each year children die from abuse and neglect. Forty-nine States
reported a total of 1,676 fatalities. Based on these data, a nationally
estimated 1,770 children died from abuse and neglect. Fatality analyses
are performed for the unique count of children. Of the reported fatalities:
Boys had a
slightly higher
child fatality rate
than girls at 2.36 One-third
One-third
The overall rate Four-fifths boys per (36.7%) of child
(35.8%) of child
of child fatalities (80.8%) of all 100,000 boys in fatalities were
fatalities were
was 2.34 deaths child fatalities the population caused by
attributed to
per 100,000 were younger and girls died of multiple
neglect
children; than 4 years old; abuse and maltreatment
exclusively; and
neglect at a rate types.
of 2.12 per
100,000 girls in
the population;

11. CHILD FATALITIES BY
AGE
Arizona
•Child Population
-1,732,019
•Child Fatalities
-30
•Child fatalities per
100,000 Children
-1.73

12. PERPETRATORS
For the analyses included in this report, a perpetrator is the person who
is responsible for the abuse or neglect of a child. Forty-nine States
reported case-level data about perpetrators using unique identifiers. In
these States, the total duplicate count of perpetrators was 894,951 and
the total unique count of perpetrators was 512,790. For 2009:
Four-fifths
(80.9%) of Women
Of the duplicate
duplicate comprised a Four-fifths
perpetrators who
perpetrators of larger percentage (83.2%) of all
were
child of all unique unique
parents, four-
maltreatment perpetrators than perpetrators were
fifths (84.7%)
were parents, and men, 53.8 between the ages
were the
another 6.3 percent of 20 and 49
biological parents
percent were compared to 44.4 years.
of the victim;
other relatives of percent; and
the victim;

13. VICTIMS BY
PERPETRATOR
RELATIONSHIP

14. REPORTING ABUSE OR
NEGLECT
• Arizona law requires certain persons who suspect that a
child has received non-accidental injury or has been
neglected to report their concerns to CPS or local law
enforcement.
• YOU may be a child’s only advocate at the time you report
the possibility of abuse or neglect. Children often tell a
person with whom they feel safe about abuse or neglect. If a
child tells you of such experiences, act to protect that child
by calling the toll free (1-888-767-2445).
Arizona Child Abuse Hotline
1-888-SOS-CHILD

15. WHO MUST REPORT?
• Any person who reasonably believes that a minor is or has been
the victim of physical injury, abuse, child abuse, a reportable
offense or neglect that appears to have been inflicted on the
minor by other than accidental means or that is not explained
by the available medical history as being accidental in
nature, or who reasonably believes that there has been a
denial or deprivation of necessary medical treatment or
surgical care or nourishment with the intent to cause or allow
the death of an infant who is protected under A.R.S. 36-
2281, shall immediately report or cause reports to be made of
this information to a peace office or to Child Protective Services
in the Department of Economic Security, except if the report
concerns a person who does not have care, custody or control
of the minor, the report shall be made to a peace office only.

16. WHO MUST REPORT?
The following persons are required by law to report:
•Any physician, physician's assistant, optometrist, dentist, osteopath, chiropractor,
podiatrist, behavioral health professional, nurse, psychologist, counselor or social
worker who develops the reasonable belief in the course of treating a patient.
•Any peace officer, member of the clergy, priest or Christian Science practitioner.
•The parent, stepparent or guardian of the minor.
•School personnel or domestic violence victim advocates who develop the
reasonable belief in the course of their employment.
•Any other person who has responsibility for the care or treatment of the minor.

17. WHO MUST REPORT?
A person making a report or providing
information about a child is immune from civil
or criminal liability unless such person has
been charged with, or is suspected of, the
abuse or neglect in question.
A person acting with malice who either
knowingly and intentionally makes a false
report of child abuse and neglect or who
coerces another person to make a false report
is guilty of a crime. A person who knowingly
and intentionally falsely accuses another of
maliciously making a false report of child
abuse and neglect is also guilty of a crime.

18. WHEN TO REPORT?
• A report should be made when any person, who
reasonably believes that a child under 18 has been
abused, neglected, exploited or abandoned. A report
of suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation or
abandonment is only a request for an investigation.
The person making the report does not need to
prove the abuse. Investigation and validation of child
abuse reports are the responsibilities of child
protective service workers. If additional incidents of
abuse occur after the initial report has been
made, make another report.

19. WHEN TO REPORT?
When reporting, the following
information if known will be requested:
• name, age, and gender of child and other family
members
• address, phone numbers, and/or directions to child's
home
• parents' place of employment
• description of suspected abuse or neglect
• current condition of the child

20. WHAT HAPPENS TO THE
REPORT?
• A CPS Specialist will investigate the report through
interviews with all children in the home, parents, friends,
relatives, and any other person who may have
information about the child and family. After
investigation, if CPS has reason to believe that a parent
guardian or custodian abused or neglected a child and
intends to confirm this, a letter will be sent to the person
accused explaining how an appeal of this decision may
be requested and how to get a copy of the CPS report.

21. REMEMBER!
Arizona Child Abuse Hotline
1-888-SOS-CHILD
(1-888-767-2445)
A report of suspected child
abuse, neglect, exploitation or
abandonment is a responsible
attempt to protect a child.