§ 12461 — Findings

Congress finds that— (1) the former United States Advisory Board on Child Abuse suggests that domestic violence may be the single major precursor to child abuse and neglect fatalities in this country; (2) studies suggest that as many as 10,000,000 children witness domestic violence every year; (3) studies suggest that among children and teenagers, recent exposure to violence in the home was a significant factor in predicting a child’s violent behavior; (4) a study by the Nurse-Family Partnership found that children whose parents did not participate in home visitation programs that provided coaching in parenting skills, advice and support, were almost 5 times more likely to be abused in their first 2 years of life; (5) a child’s exposure to domestic violence seems to pose the greatest independent risk for being the victim of any act of partner violence as an adult; (6) children exposed to domestic violence are more likely to believe that using violence is an effective means of getting one’s needs met and managing conflict in close relationships; (7) children exposed to abusive parenting, harsh or erratic discipline, or domestic violence are at increased risk for juvenile crime; and (8) in a national survey of more than 6,000 American families, 50 percent of men who frequently assaulted their wives also frequently abused their children.