More Than 90,000 U.S. Infants Are Victims of Abuse or Neglect

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Although the new report looked at nonfatal maltreatment of infants, Arias noted that neglect and abuse is the leading cause of death in children.

"It is the third-leading cause of death for kids under the age of 3, and the fifth-leading cause of death for children between the ages of 1 and 9. About 19 percent of child-maltreatment deaths occur among babies who are less than 1 year of age," she said.

The findings were published in the April 4 edition of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

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Arias said the CDC is actively trying to develop programs to prevent the maltreatment of infants. "We are very committed to making sure that we prevent any instance of maltreatment. We want to get the kids before they are ever hit or neglected," she said.

Dr. Desmond Runyan, a professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and an expert in child welfare, said he's convinced that only a fraction of maltreatment cases are ever reported.

"I'm sure these numbers underestimate the problem," he said. "Agencies investigate cases that come to their attention, because they're flagrant and are reported."

However, Runyan added that children are better treated now than in the past. "Taking the long historical view, we are at a place now where kids are probably safer than they've ever been in the history of the human race," he said.

Runyan thinks education about parenting -- particularly for teens -- is the key to preventing the maltreatment of infants and children.

"We still have a situation where you need a license to drive a car, but you don't need a license to be a parent," he said. "Kids don't come with owners' manuals. They cry and annoy people.

"Family planning and education in the schools about parenting and delaying having children until people are a little bit older are the things that probably would have the most dramatic impact on reducing the incidence of abuse and neglect," Runyan added.

More information

For more on child abuse and neglect, visit the U.S. Administration for Children and Families.

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