2006

Research has indicated that up to 10 million children between the ages of 3 to 17 are exposed to at least one act of violence between their parents yearly, and that up to 27% of adults recall witnessing violence between their parents (Fontes, 2000). Data also indicate that child maltreatment increased from 931,000 cases reported in 1986 to 984,000 in 1997 (Gershater-Molko, Lutzker, & Wesch, 2003). Farver, Xu, Eppe, Fernandez, and Schwartz (2005) pointed out that even though overall crime rates have dropped, violence directed toward children has not experienced similar declines. Tjaden and Thoennes (2000) noted that 3.3 million children witness domestic violence each year