Shown
below is an analysis of data drawn from the "Child abuse and neglect" and the "Child fatality" tables from each of the DHHS'
"Child Maltreatment" reports between 2001 and 2006.
The DHHS calculates the percentages of perpetrators in various categories such as Mother, Father, Foster Parent, Daycare Staff, Friend or Neighbor, etc. The percentages are often used to argue whether, on average, it is fathers or mothers that pose a greater risk of harm to their children. But when trying to determine which parent, on average poses the greater danger, categories like Foster Parent, Daycare Staff, Friend or Neighbor, etc. are entirely irrelevant. The calculations below factor out those categories to produce a more accurate picture. The resulting calculations show the percentage of child abuse and deaths caused by one parent acting either alone or in concert with someone other than the child's other parent.
The DHHS data shows that of children abused by one parent between 2001 and 2006,
70.6% were abused by their mothers, whereas only 29.4% were abused by their fathers.
And of children who died at the hands of one parent between 2001 and 2006,
70.8% were killed by their mothers, whereas only 29.2% were killed by their fathers.
Furthermore, contrary to media portrayals that leave the viewer with the impression that only girls are ever harmed,
boys constituted fully 60% of child fatalities. (Table 4-3, p. 71,
Child Maltreatment 2006,
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/pubs/cm06/cm06.pdf, reports that 675 boys died in 2006 as compared to 454 girls).
http://www.breakingthescience.org/SimplifiedDataFromDHHS.php