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Monday, February 5, 2018

Report Reveals Sharp Increase in Child Abuse Deaths

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A total of 1,700 fatalities were registered in 2016 as a direct result of child mistreatment in the United States.

The United States Department of Health and Human Services released a report this week, which showed a seven percent increase in child abuse fatalities in the United States. A total of 1,700 deaths were registered in 2016 as a direct result of child mistreatment, compared to 1,589 during the previous year, according to the report.
While the report analyzed data from every state except Maine, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, the majority of the increase occurred in two states – Indiana and Texas – where disarray has reigned within child-welfare agencies. A breakdown of the data revealed that fatalities rose from 34 to 70 in Indiana and 162 to 217 in Texas. "It breaks my heart for the kids in this state right now," said Juvenile Judge Marilyn A. Moores. Her courtroom in Indianapolis has witnessed a drastic rise in child welfare cases as a direct result of the opioid epidemic. "Traditional systems of early warning are overwhelmed and parents, because of addiction, aren't seeking intervention because their kids are going to be removed," she said, adding "It allows kids to die. It's a fact." The director of Indiana's Department of Child Services, Mary Beth Bonaventura, resigned from her post in December. Her departure was accompanied by a scathing letter addressed to Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, accusing him of cutting services and making management changes that “all but ensure children will die.” The letter went on to state that she chose “to resign, rather than be complicit in decreasing the safety, permanency, and well-being of children who have nowhere else to turn." Two years ago a Congressional committee concluded that the United States has no coherent, effective strategies capable of stemming the number of children who die from abuse and neglect.

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