Taipei, April 9 (CNA) More than 20 percent of child abusers themselves suffered from physical abuse when they were young, according to the results of a survey published Monday by the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families (TFCF).

The TFCF, which provides abused children with care, medical assistance, legal and counseling services, interviewed 3,577 parents who have physically abused their kids, 779 of whom, or 21.8 percent, said they themselves had been physically abused by their parents when they were young.

Physical abuse accounted for 40.4 percent of the reported cases, followed by 13.5 percent for neglect, with the remainder comprising other forms of abuse, including mental and sexual abuse, or child abandonment, according to the survey results.

Weng Hui-yuan, director of TFCF's department of social work, urged the public to use the 113 emergency number or the toll-free 0800-078585 line to report child abuse cases to help end the vicious cycle in violent-ridden families.

TFCF Executive Director Miguel Wang said children who grow up in a violent environment are more likely to develop violent behavior in later years.

(By Chen Shun-hsieh and Ann Chen)
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