Who is most likely to abuse a child?

The Child Maltreatment 2022 report reveals who is most likely to abuse a child. Most perpetrators are between 25–44 years old, with both men and women involved. Abuse is not limited to strangers, it often occurs within close relationships and across all racial and ethnic groups.

Most Child Abusers Are Between the Ages of 25 and 44

The Child Maltreatment 2022 report shows that 68.8% of perpetrators were aged 25–44, with the largest group being 25–34 years old (39.9%). Most child abusers were parents of their victims (76.0%), while others included relatives (7.0%), unmarried partners of a parent (4.2%), and nonrelatives such as babysitters or foster siblings (3.9%). When identifying signs of a child abuser, attention often needs to be directed toward the immediate caregivers, not strangers.

Male and Female Child Abusers: More Women Than Men

Surprisingly, 51.1% of perpetrators were female, compared with 47.7% male, and 1.1% were unknown. This highlights that a female child molester or female child abuser is a statistical reality, countering stereotypes that only men commit abuse. Both sexes appear in the data. This means learning what a child molester is and recognizing the signs of a child molester requires an open perspective that includes both men and women.

Can a Child Be an Abuser? Rare but Possible

Although uncommon, 1.9% of the perpetrators were under 18 years old. These cases are referred to as child perpetrators. While rare, numbers confirm that children can be an abuser. The answer is yes. Some states set minimum age thresholds for labeling someone as a perpetrator, but the data confirm that peer-to-peer abuse, including by minors, occurs.

Race and ethnicity of Child Abusers

Perpetrator data by race showed that 47.4% of child abusers were White, 21.0% Black or African-American, and 20.3% Hispanic. Smaller percentages included American Indian/Alaska Native (1.4%), Asian (1.1%), and those of two or more races (2.3%). About 6.1% were unknown or not reported. These findings show that child maltreatment is not isolated to one community but occurs across racial and ethnic groups.

Sources

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau. (2024). Child Maltreatment 2022: Chapter 5 – Perpetrators. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Available from the Children’s Bureau website.

Our goal is to ensure the safety and protection of every child until it is achieved. Our goal is to support communities in protecting the future of children and promoting their welfare.