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| Study: Most Violence Against Children Not Reported | |
| Kids
May Fear Retaliation, Blame for Assaults Nov. 29, 1999 By James Gordon Meek WASHINGTON (APBnews.com) -- The Justice Department says up to 72 percent of violent crime against juveniles is not reported to police, according to the results of a new survey released today by its Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The random survey polled 100,000 teens, aged 12 to 17, from 55,000 households who overwhelmingly indicated violent crimes against them are underreported to law enforcement. The National Crime Victimization Survey reported that an additional 16 percent of violent cases come to the attention of other authorities, such as school officials. The numbers released today fall well below the Justice Department's estimate that 52 percent of crimes with adult victims are not reported to police. Survey design faulted The Justice Department suggested crimes against juveniles are underreported because children fear adults will blame them for the crime perpetrated against them, or will simply dismiss some assaults as common juvenile squabbles. Victims may also fear retaliation for reporting a crime. The findings were published Monday in the Juvenile Justice Bulletin, which said the survey's scientific accuracy may have been hampered by several factors. The questionnaire "contains concepts and formulations which may be obscure to children," the report said, and fails to gather data on certain types of non-forcible sexual offenses, such as statutory rape and incest. The national victimization survey is prepared by the Census Bureau for the Justice Department. Also, no one under 12 was surveyed, a significant segment of the juvenile population, and one not immune to violent crime. Young children increasingly vulnerable The Justice Department issued a report on juvenile crime last week that said children under 12 often are brutally assaulted by other children and adults. In the category of
forcible rape alone, 15 percent of the known
victims in 1998 were under 12 years of age. When
rapes occurred between family members, 39 percent
of the victims were juveniles under 12, the
report said. James Gordon Meek is an APBnews.com staff writer in Washington (james.meek@apbnews.com). |
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