The Burden and Costs of Violence Against Children in the United States and China

Recent studies document the high health and economic burden associated with violence against children by caregivers. In the US, the burden is estimated as $124 billion in 2008, 0.8% of national income, and an estimated 10.2% of US children were affected.  In China the first-ever such study published for a middle income country suggests that the losses from physical abuse alone amount to US $50 billion in 2010, 0.8% of national income, with additional losses from emotional and sexual abuse.