US Department of Health and Human Services for the Fourth National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect published late last year. The 22 page section on Differences in the incidence of maltreatment related to family structure and living arrangement is not yet on the internet – we accessed a report from the UK think tank Family and Youth Concern (http://famyouth.org.uk/) – but the findings are dramatic.
For example the study shows that compared with children living with two married biological parents children living with one natural parent who has an unmarried partner are eight times more likely to suffer maltreatment eleven times more likely to be abused and six times more likely to be neglected.
[url=http://www.fava.org.au/news/2011/australians-sign-open-letter-to-the-pm-on-marriage/]
Open letter on marriage[/url]