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Almost every school building in the country is closed
Fewer than half of students are participating in online learning in some schools,
The reporting of child abuse is dropping by as much as 70% since schools shut their doors.
Between March and April almost 90% of children entering Children’s Hospital in Washington DC had to be hospitalized because of injuries suggesting child abuse (compared to 50% in the same period prior year).
A majority of Americans are not reporting parental child abuse (only 19% say they are “very Likely” to report and only 36% would report if it were a stranger doing the same thing.
Abused children have no voice in the homes they live in, the media or the State House. It’s up to others to speak for and support them that they may lead normal lives.
It will take care and compassion from those of us able to provide support at risk children and families if we are to save these children from becoming dysfunctional and too often dangerous adults.
Talk about this with family & friends – urge them to contact your legislators with this message:
An estimated 50% of maltreated children aren’t being identified because mandated reporters aren’t seeing them. Other states are addressing this issue as part of their COVID-19 plan. We urge you to do the same.
The following articles gathered from around the nation point to a trend of more child abuse, under-reporting and growing problems with law enforcement responding to and dealing with domestic violence.
| Child abuse reports down amid coronavirus pandemic
Fox Baltimore Rosenberg is the Vice President of Violence Intervention and Prevention at LifeBridge Health and the Executive Director at Baltimore Child Abuse …
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| Drug Abuse on the Rise Because of COVID-19
EHS Today The Coronavirus pandemic is bad enough, but reports have surfaced about a resurgence in opioid use in the wake of widespread unemployment and …
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| Number of child abuse reports drop amidst COVID-19, virtual learning
Fairfaxtimes.com Reports of alleged child abuse and neglect began to drop significantly starting in March of this year once the spread of COVID-19 instigated a massive …
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| Child Abuse Victims Have Been Forgotten in the NJ State Proposed Budget
TAPinto.net During Covid19, child victims have been suffering in silence, forced to isolate with their abusers, without access to the trusted adults they normally …
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| CASA of Travis County overcoming COVID-19 pandemic challenges to help children
KVUE.com While the number of calls dropped, the reports of child abuse were more severe, according to Wolf. “Those cases that did come in were very serious …
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| Maldives: Covid-19 Exposes Abuse of Migrants
Human Rights Watch Migrant workers in the Maldives face a range of entrenched abuses from employers, including deceptive recruitment practices, wage theft, passport …
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| Letter to the editor: COVID-19 pandemic may lead to a child abuse epidemic
North Platte Telegraph National figures on child abuse and neglect reports related to the coronavirus will be collected by DHHS as part of the federal fiscal year 2020, which …
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| Due to COVID-19, Florida’s child abuse, domestic violence rates could be deceptively low
St. Augustine Record Under normal circumstances, a drop in reported rates of domestic violence and child abuse would be welcome news. But 2020 has been anything but …
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| Child Advocacy Groups Expect Reports Of Abuse To Rise As North Texas Kids Go Back To School
CBS Dallas / Fort Worth COVID-19 concerns forced the event to go virtual this year, but the conference last week was still filled with powerful voices, like Mesquite child abuse …
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| Many child abuse cases may be going unreported during pandemic
Medical Xpress (HealthDay)—Child abuse reports have plunged during the coronavirus pandemic, a troubling sign that the constraints of social distancing may mean …
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| Surge in Child Abuse, Harm During COVID-19 Pandemic Reported
JAMA Network A study documenting an alarming rise in abuse-related head injuries among children in the United Kingdom adds to increasing evidence that the …
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| Centers report handling 40000 fewer child abuse cases amid coronavirus pandemic
The Hill “What we really believe is that there are 40,000 fewer kids that haven’t been saved from abuse.” ADVERTISEMENT. The National Children’s Alliance, an …
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| Genesee County Prosecutor: Uptick in child abuse cases during COVID-19 pandemic
nbc25news.com Now, he says community members will have to help break the silence of child abuse. “Parents can…. snap,” said Leyton. Prosecutor Leyton says while …
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| COVID-19 scuttles R. Kelly’s Chicago trial on sex-abuse related charges – again
Chicago Tribune The indictment also alleged Kelly and his co-defendants paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to recover child sex tapes before they fell into the hands …
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| Gov. Ron DeSantis, wife Casey hold roundtable on COVID-19 and mental health, substance abuse
FirstCoastNews.com WTLV-WJXX Not being able to interact with teachers or extracurricular activities is resulting in a steep dropoff in the number of child abuse reports across the state.
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| Greenbier County CYAC combats new challenges in fight against child abuse during COVID-19 …
mountainmessenger.com Although many children in Greenbrier County are currently preparing to return to school, their absence from school and a number of public places has …
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| DeSantis says Florida schools with coronavirus cases shouldn’t be quick to shut down again
Sarasota Herald-Tribune Chad Poppell, the secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families, said teachers play a key role in reporting suspected child abuse cases.
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| Florida’s first lady warns of COVID-19 effect on families
Orlando Weekly … a discussion on COVID-19 and mental health in Sarasota, Casey DeSantis expressed alarm at a drop in calls and referrals to Florida’s child-abuse …
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| Crime likely being underreported during COVID-19 pandemic, Seminole sheriff says
WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando Apart from child-related calls, organizations also noted a 32% decrease in sexual abuse investigations and a 50% decline in physical abuse …
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| A Private Security Company Is Detaining Migrant Children at Hotels
The New York Times … is necessary to protect the country from the spread of the coronavirus. … “I’m worried kids may be exposed to abuse, neglect, including sexual abuse …
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COVID-19 causes mistrial in Dixon County child abuse case Sioux City Journal PONCA, Neb. — A judge has declared a mistrial in a Wakefield, Nebraska, woman’s child abuse case after jurors and court personnel were potentially …
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| They’re Children at Risk of Abuse, and Their Caseworkers Are Stuck Home
The New York Times Scores of investigations into allegations of abuse or neglect have been delayed or sharply curtailed during the coronavirus pandemic, records and …
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| Cuomo says NY schools can reopen in-person but leaves it up to districts to determine if, when and …
The New York Times As California surpassed 10,000 coronavirus deaths this week, the head of the state’s Health and Human Services Agency, Dr. Mark Ghaly, said a …
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| House Committee Split Over School Reopening
MedPage Today In addition, while child abuse reports have fallen, the abuse itself likely has not, … Still, less than 1% of COVID-19 related deaths were children. That is …
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| Opinion: Child abuse reports are down, but is abuse just going unseen during the pandemic?
The Colorado Sun Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Colorado Department of Human Services has seen a 45% decrease in reports to the Child Abuse …
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| Spanberger, Cline introduce bill targeting child sexual exploitation, abuse
CBS19 News The release says the number of calls to child protective services regarding child abuse has dropped dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, and …
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| New Mexico Shouldn’t Double Down On Failed System of Child Abuse Reporting
Youth Today The child abuse surveillance state makes all children less safe. If you were trying to cope with poverty and COVID-19, would you accept a food basket …
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| Child abuse reports went way down when schools closed
Bakersfield Now In the three full months after schools closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, child abuse reports severely decreased in Kern County. In April, reports …
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| Child Abuse in the Time of COVID-19
EIN News In dysfunctional households, lockdown policies can translate into a nightmare; a child may be stuck at home with an abuser. This is a stressful time for …
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| United Way of CO awards $160K to 26 nonprofits for COVID-19 relief
KTVZ The funds will support these agencies as they adapt in the age of COVID-19 to challenges in delivering services. … long after, such as housing instability, food insecurity, mental health, childcare, domestic violence, and child abuse.
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| COVID-19 Resources from Doris Duke Fellows
Prevent Child Abuse America Subscribe to our quarterly newsletter and we’ll make sure you never miss out on any of the great things going on at Prevent Child Abuse America.
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| Police: Child abuse cases climb as COVID-19 keeps children out of school
Dothan Eagle A recent upswing in reports of child sexual abuse cases has area law enforcement concerned there will be another spike in reported cases once …
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| Child sexual abuse: The hidden pandemic we must confront
The Hill And this year, COVID-19 has created a perfect storm for unprecedented levels of abuse by trapping children at home with their abusers, driving the …
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Health and economy experts worry about long-term impact of COVID-19 fight KARE11.com “I worry about child abuse. Our primary first line reporters are teachers, and when the kids aren’t in school, we’ve already seen our numbers of child …
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| Governor Cuomo Signs Legislation Extending Look Back Window for Child Victims Act
ny.gov Yet it’s clear many New Yorkers who survived child sexual abuse haven’t come forward — especially during the COVID-19 crisis which has upended …
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| Column: Congress must help abused children during the COVID-19 crisis
Michigan Advance This crisis is one Congress can address by putting some of the relief funding toward the fight against child exploitation. The Rape, Abuse & Incest …
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| COVID-19 a ‘natural disaster’ for child welfare. Now experts consider how to rebuild
Courier Journal COVID-19 struck Kentucky’s child welfare system like “a natural disaster,” … Meanwhile, rates of child abuse and neglect remain high, with Kentucky …
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| Cuyahoga County child-abuse complaints plummeted as the coronavirus kept kids at home
msnNOW CLEVELAND, Ohio – Reports of child abuse plummeted in Cuyahoga County this spring, as children stayed home because of concerns about the …
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| Children will pay long-term stress-related costs of Covid-19 unless we follow the science
STAT If we don’t, the pandemic will in the short term put millions more children than before at risk for hunger, homelessness, abuse, and neglect. Over the long …
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| Back to school in a pandemic: A guide to all the factors keeping parents and educators up at night
Washington Post Reports of child abuse and neglect are down, not because they’re happening less, but because of schools being closed by the coronavirus. Under the …
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Clark County sees massive decrease in child abuse reports without in-person classes, teacher input KTNV Las Vegas Teachers play a big role in your child’s life. Aside from teaching fundamentals, many also report signs of abuse inside a home.
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| Child Maltreatment Prevention in the Era of Coronavirus Disease 2019
JAMA Network The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exposed the frailty of the just-in-time medical system currently in place in the United States.
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Has child abuse surged under COVID-19? Despite alarming stories from ERs, there’s no answer NBC News An NBC News analysis of data from 43 states and Washington, D.C., found that reports of abuse and neglect in April 2020 dropped by an average of …
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| ‘Isolation helps keep secrets’: Child abuse, neglect reports drop during pandemic
Courier Journal LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Reports of child abuse and neglect in Kentucky have dropped significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, a decline child welfare …
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After KY schools closed and kids stayed home, far fewer people reported child abuse Lexington Herald Leader After Kentucky schools abruptly closed in March to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the number of child abuse and neglect reports received by state …
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| CASA of Santa Barbara County: Child abuse cases rise during COVID-19
KEYT SANTA MARIA, Calif. – CASA of Santa Barbara County which helps abused children is struggling with a rising number of cases during the pandemic.
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| Rape, Child Abuse hotline temporary number drop may be linked to coronavirus
KENS5.com The yield from coronavirus is not typically associated with a positive benefit. But the deadly virus may have driven down calls for rape and child abuse.
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| Rise in child abuse and neglect concerns North Country primary prevention program
North Country Public Radio COVID-19 exacerbates exisiting stressors. Piper says that the coronavirus and everything that’s come with it – shutdowns, economic downturn, schools …
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| For Indonesia’s street children, coronavirus means more danger
Aljazeera.com COVID-19 has made life more dangerous for children on the streets who are even more at risk of being sexually abused. by Jessica Washington.
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| Coronavirus could be tamping down abuse reporting
La Grande Observer In 2018 La Grande Police Department reported 329 cases of child abuse. This includes physical abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. In 2019 the …
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TDOE: Child Wellbeing Task Force releases initial COVID-19 impact report WBIR.com Officials said that reports of suspected child abuse dropped by 27 percent during peak stay-at-home orders, mostly because mandatory reporters such …
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| Child Abuse Numbers are Down, But Deceiving
Spectrum News 1 Kentucky State Senator Tests Positive for Coronavirus. Sen. Max Wise made the announcement yesterday. Kentucky2 weeks ago.
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| Virtual learning due to COVID-19 could make helping child abuse victims tougher
KTXS ABILENE, Texas — Two out of every 10 kids across the country are neglected, physically abused or sexually abused, according to the Regional Victim …
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| Australia’s coronavirus outbreak raises alarm over online child sex abuse
Reuters From Europe to Asia, cases of online child sexual abuse have soared during coronavirus lockdowns as children spend more time online, making them …
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Eau Claire County DHS sees increase in child abuse and neglect referrals during COVID-19 … WQOW TV News 18 Sherill Jahr, a DHS social worker, said in June there was an increase in the number of child abuse and neglect referrals at their agency. She added …
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| Experts say cases of child sexual abuse may be under-reported during coronavirus pandemic
KRGV As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, fewer cases of child sexual abuse are being reported. The number of sexual assaults against children, though …
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Coronavirus pandemic contributing to significant rise in Boise-area domestic abuse cases KTVB.com The Women’s and Children’s Alliance in Boise said it’s seen an increased need for its abuse services since the start of the pandemic. This video file …
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Rising child abuse, other COVID-19 mental health problems discussed with Governor WPBF West Palm Beach child abuse could be on the rise due to continued distance learning during the covid-19 crisis…because teachers are the number one reporters of …
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| Child Abuse Council | Children and COVID-19
WHBF – OurQuadCities.com discussing the evolving coronavirus outbreak with young children. Adults play an important role in helping kids make sense of what they hear and how …
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| Child Advocacy Center preparing for possible influx of child abuse cases
FOX10 News Coronavirus Daily Newsletter. The latest COVID-19 headlines delivered to your inbox every day.
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| Amid pandemic, more than half of calls to national sexual assault hotline are from children
11Alive.com WXIA They said many children experiencing sexual abuse at home often find themselves isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic. “When we think about child …
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| Coronavirus continuing impact on abuse in San Mateo County
San Mateo Daily Journal For the first week of March when classes were being held in person, 150 cases of child abuse were reported to the agency’s hotline with 63 meeting …
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