Statement of Christopher Knight Capone in Honor of National Child Abuse Prevention Month

NEW YORK, April 5 /PRNewswire/ -- April is the second annual National Child Abuse Prevention Month. It is an unfortunate necessity that we must have a month of attention dedicated to this pervasive issue.

Highlighting the need for prevention is a call to action of all people, regardless of age, marital status, or income level can and should appreciate. It is also something all parents, guardians and relatives share a responsibility to prevent.

I recently shared my life story as the grandson of Al Capone in a memoir not only as a way to release the trauma associated with finding my father's lineage but also to share my personal struggle of growing up as an abused child, the affects it has had on my life and most importantly to help spread awareness around this cause.

Much of what drove my attempt to find my family lineage was driven by the abuse I suffered.

I and millions of others can tell you that the scars of abuse, physical and emotional, last long after the abuse stops. Neglect, something all too common, is another form of abuse. Stopping all forms of abuse is something we all share responsibility for.

Some statistics, provided by Prevent Child Abuse America (www.preventchildabuse.org) and Childhelp (www.childhelp.org):

• Annually more than 3.5 million children are reported to state and local Child Protective Services (CPS) agencies as victims of child abuse and neglect.*
• A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds.**
• In 2007, an estimated 3,535,501 children were accepted as alleged victims of child maltreatment, a rate of 47.2 per 1,000 children in the U.S. population and Puerto Rico.*
• An estimated 794,000 children were substantiated as victims of child abuse and neglect, a rate of 10.6 per 1,000 children in the U.S. population and Puerto Rico.*
• Almost five children die every day as a result of child abuse. More than three of four are under the age of four.**
• An estimated 60-85% of child fatalities due to maltreatment are not recorded as such on death certificates.**
• 90% of child sexual abuse victims know the perpetrator in some way; 68% are abused by family members.**
• 31% percent of women in prison in the United States were abused as children.**
• Over 60% of people in drug rehabilitation centers report being abused or neglected as a child.**
• About 30% of abused and neglected children will later abuse their own children, continuing the cycle of abuse.**
• About 80% of 21 year olds that were abused as children met criteria for at least one psychological disorder.**
• The estimated annual cost of child abuse and neglect in the United States for 2007 is $104 billion.**
• Abused children are 25% more likely to experience teen pregnancy.**
• Abused teens are 3 times less likely to practice safe sex, putting them at greater risk for STDs.**

Even one case of abuse is too much, but the numbers above highlight just how staggering the problem is. We can all help reduce, and then eliminate the problems of abuse in many ways. Wearing a blue ribbon, symbolizing the bruised and battered children who suffer from abuse, is an easy way to show your support.

For me, one step is donating some proceeds from my book sales to the Boys and Girls Club of America. I believe that Boy's and Girls Club of America is the place I wish I had available to me as a child. I know my father would appreciate the core values that Boy's and Girl's Club instills in children. Please consider donating to them at: http://bit.ly/BCGA-Capone or www.bgca.org/

Anyone in need of abuse assistance can call, 24 hours a day, 1−800−799−SAFE(7233)

I encourage all to give to charities that help raise awareness to and solve the issues of ending child abuse.

*  http://www.preventchildabuse.org/about_us/faqs.shtml

**  http://www.childhelp.org/pages/statistics#gen-stats

SOURCE Christopher Knight Capone