Frequently Asked Questions

National Institute of Justice resources provide information on the phenomenon known as the "cycle of violence," in which a childhood history of physical abuse may lead the survivor to be more likely to commit violence in later years. Resources include the following:

• Pathways Between Child Maltreatment and Adult Criminal Involvement
• Effects of Child Maltreatment, Cumulative Victimization Experiences, and Proximal Life Stress on Adult Crime and Antisocial Behavior
• An Update on the Cycle of Violence
• Childhood Victimization: Early Adversity, Later Psychopathology

To learn more, visit the National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence, a series of publications funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Individuals typically designated as mandatory reporters of child abuse, including child sexual abuse and exploitation, have frequent contact with children and may include health care workers, school personnel, child care providers, social workers, law enforcement officers, and mental health professionals.

Information about mandatory reporters is available on the State Statutes section of the Child Welfare Information Gateway website. You may also consult with your state or Tribal child welfare agency.

The U.S. Department of State's Children's Passport Issuance Alert Program works to prevent international parental child abduction. The program allows parents to register their U.S. citizen children under the age of 18. If a passport application is submitted for that registered child, the U.S. Department of State will contact and alert the parent(s).

To learn more and to register a child, visit the Children's Passport Issuance Alert Program website.

Missing and exploited children statistics are available in the Federal Bureau of Investigation's annual NCIC Missing Person and Unidentified Person Statistics reports and in the Statistics section of the Office of Justice Program's Missing Children Special Feature.

For additional information about missing children, visit the Child and Youth Victimization section of our website and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website.

If you have not yet contacted law enforcement officials to report your missing child, please do so immediately. Ask them about the issuing an AMBER Alert.

Through the AMBER Alert system, law enforcement agencies and broadcasters activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child abduction cases. Request that law enforcement put out a Be On the Look Out (BOLO) bulletin. Ask them about involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the search for your child.

Additional helpful information for families about what to do when a child is missing is available in the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's When Your Child is Missing: A Family Survival Guide publication and Missing and Exploited Children page. You may also contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 800-843-5678 and view their Missing-Child, Emergency-Response, Quick-Reference Guide for Families.

Finally, visit the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) website. NamUs is a clearinghouse for missing persons and unidentified decedent records. This free online system can be searched by law enforcement officials, other allied professionals, and the general public to solve these cases.

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) defines dating violence as violence committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim; and where the existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on a consideration of the following factors—

• the length of the relationship,
• the type of relationship, and
• the frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship.

For additional information, visit the Intimate Partner Violence section of our site.

You can learn about the signs associated with child abuse and neglect by viewing the Child Welfare Information Gateway fact sheet, What Is Child Abuse and Neglect? Recognizing the Signs and Symptoms.

If you need to report a case of suspected child abuse or neglect, each state designates specific agencies to receive and investigate reports of suspected child abuse and neglect. Typically, this responsibility is carried out by Child Protective Services. For information or assistance with reporting, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline:

• Toll Free: 800-4-A-CHILD (800-422-4453)
• Text HELP to 800-4-A-CHILD (800-422-4453)
• Online chat: childhelphotline.org

You may also contact your local Child Protective Services agency.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention publication, A Family Resource Guide on International Parental Kidnapping, provides information about and guidance on what to do if an international parental kidnapping has occurred.

Also, the U.S. Department of State has an International Parental Child Abduction page to assist the parent of an abducted child. Assistance may also be obtained from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

For additional information, visit the Child and Youth Victimization section of our website.

Child sexual abuse statistics are available in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' annual Child Maltreatment reports.

For additional information, visit the Child and Youth Victimization and Sexual Assault sections of our website.

Statistics on child abuse and neglect are available in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' annual Child Maltreatment reports.

For additional information, visit the Child and Youth Victimization and Sexual Assault sections of our website.