PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

§12461 Findings

Title 34 › Subtitle I — Comprehensive Acts › CHAPTER 121 — VIOLENT CRIME CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT › SUBCHAPTER III — VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN › Part K — Strengthening America’s Families by Preventing Violence Against Women and Children › § 12461

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

Congress says domestic violence seriously harms children and may be the main factor behind many child abuse and neglect deaths. Studies estimate up to 10,000,000 children see domestic violence each year. Seeing violence at home makes kids more likely to act violently, to think violence solves problems in relationships, to join juvenile crime, and to become victims of partner violence as adults. One study found children whose parents skipped home-visiting programs that taught parenting skills were almost 5 times more likely to be abused in their first 2 years. In a survey of more than 6,000 families, 50 percent of men who often beat their wives also often abused their children.

Title 34, §12461

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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.

Editorial Notes

Codification Section was formerly classified to section 14043d of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

§12461 Findings

Summary

Title 34, §12461

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

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