There is currently an alarming rate of children and teenagers in the United States who are being abused or physically assaulted by their family members and peers.

A new study shows that more than one-third, or nearly 4 out of 10 kids and adolescents were exposed to violence last year, while 1 out of 20 are reported to have been abused by the adults surrounding them.

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Director David Finkelhor of the Crimes against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire who spearheaded the project said that children are the most vulnerable segment of the entire US population to abuse.

In the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's website, the four common types of abuse, namely sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and negligence by a parent, caregiver, guardian, or an authorized adult (such as a teacher, coach, nurse).

"The full burden of this tends to be missed because many national crime indicators either do not include the experience of all children or don't look at the big picture and include all the kinds of violence to which children are exposed," Finkelhor added.

The study is composed of a telephone survey on the experiences of 4,000 kids and teenagers. Those who are aged 10 to 17 answered the interview, while for those who are aged 9 and below, the adults in charge of their custody are the ones who answered. The questions focused on the child or teen's experience in terms of violence, abuse, and crime.

The result: approximately 37 percent of the kids have been physically assaulted, while 9 have been injured from an assault.

The study also showed that boys (6.9 percent) have been assaulted twice as much as girls (3.3 percent). It was also revealed that more boys were assaulted by their peers, while 2 percent of girls have were sexually abused.

Reports say that there are more than 20,000 cases of child abuse every year.

Worldwide, the top countries that have the highest record of crimes against children are the following: 5. Russia; 4. United Kingdom; 3. Afghanistan; 2. United States; and 1. Australia.

Finkelhor urged the parents or guardians to engage in parent education and support programs that can prevent abuse, assault, and bullying.

TagsCenter for Disease Control and Prevention, US kids, abused kids, abused teenagers, Crimes against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire