Child abuse cases in at least one Bay Area County and around the country are down double digits during the COVID-19 pandemic, but officials caution the numbers don’t tell the entire story.
Stress is high during times of health, education and financial uncertainty, and can trigger abuse and neglect.
But San Mateo County Manager Mike Callagy told KCBS Radio that currently isn’t reflected in child abuse cases in San Mateo County, where cases are down a dramatic 44%.
He said it's possible cases may be currently unreported behind closed doors during the shelter-in-place order.
“Well, obviously schools are closed so it may not be a good thing that we don’t have the eyes on the kids,” Callagy said. “As the kids shelter in place, we may not have the opportunity to know if they are being abused or not.”
He added that teachers are mandatory reporters and usually trigger investigations, which isn’t occurring now.
The dip in child abuse cases is also being reported at the state and national level.
“It’s really across the board we are seeing this,” said Callagy.