Child Maltreatment 2020 Show Decreases
On January 21, 2022 the Children’s Bureau released the annual child abuse and neglect report: Child Maltreatment 2020. This year’s report based on data and reports in the first year of the pandemic, shows an overall decrease in abuse and neglect reports and fatalities, but the numbers also highlight some troubling trends or questions:
• A 10% drop in the number of cases in the early days of the pandemic, attributed to fewer contacts with teachers and caregivers during shutdowns.
• A 17% increase in the number of Black child fatalities when compared with the previous year’s report. Black children are now three times more likely to die of suspected child abuse or neglect than White children.
• An 11% increase in the number of babies born with prenatal substance exposure over last year’s numbers.
“Disparities that were present before the pandemic were intensified, and COVID-19 exposed gaps in our human services delivery system,” said Aysha E. Schomburg, Associate Commissioner of the Children’s Bureau.