Physical abuse, 2003
After relationships, bullying, emotional or behavioural management and mental health concerns, physical abuse is the fifth most common reason children and young people seek help:
- Contacts to Kids Help Line about child abuse in the 2003 financial year: 5,154
- Proportion of child abuse contacts that were about physical abuse: 45% (2,330)
- Proportion of these contacts that were from children under 15: 75%
- Proportion of these contacts that reported ongoing abuse: almost 60%
- Proportion of these contacts that reported that they were at risk of injury or death at time of contact: 10%
- Proportion of these contacts that were from children requiring support for past abuse: 10%
- Proportion of contacts about child abuse that required a duty-of-care action: 21%
- Proportion of other types of calls requiring a duty-of-care action: 3.4%
- Increase in child abuse contacts in the past three financial years: 9% per annum
Source:
Kids Help Line newsletter, November 2004.
