In the United States, at least 1 in 7 children have experienced violence or neglect in the past year. An estimated 600,000 children were victims of violence and neglect in 2021, the most recent year for which national data is available and likely an underestimate due to effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Violence and neglect in childhood, including sexual violence, are adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that can have long term impacts on health, opportunity, and wellbeing. Survivors and families often experience devastating physical, psychological, emotional, and financial consequences due to the trauma of violence. However, direct services – such as evidence-based counseling and therapy services – can help children and families recover from trauma and avoid harmful short- and long-term effects. Such treatment and advocacy services across the U.S. are funded in large part through the Crime Victims Fund (CVF), established by the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to provide federal support to state and local programs that assist victims of crime.

The CVF is at risk of significant reductions in funding, threatening service providers’ ability to lend critical support and making it more difficult for victims and survivors to get the help they need. As members of the Keep Kids Safe Movement, a survivor- and child-centered movement calling for holistic federal action and systemic change to keep kids safe from sexual violence, the National Alliance for Children, Together for Girls, and other member organizations are advocating for steady funding for the Crime Victims Fund and continued access to crucial services for survivors. These resources are vitally important to achieve the three pillars of change - prevention, healing, and justice - to bring an end to the crisis of childhood sexual violence.