PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Pennsylvania’s annual report on child abuse is out. State officials say the number of reports of possible abuse climbed last year, but are still lower than before the pandemic.
Deputy Secretary of the Pennsylvania Office of Children, Youth and Families Laval Miller-Wilson says the report provides state- and county-level data on children reported as suspected victims of abuse and neglect:
“This gives us an opportunity to look at the work that's being done to protect children and to look at funding that's needed to do more of that work,” he said.
Miller-Wilson says the number of suspected cases of child abuse reported last year climbed to 39,000, about 1,000 more than in 2021. He says that increase was expected as COVID restrictions lessened and more children returned to school and other activities.
“That increase was frankly anticipated, because we had a decrease that, over the years, was attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. And that reduced contact between children and the mandatory reporters.”
But he adds: “Those numbers are still lower than the year prior to the pandemic.”
Miller-Wilson says the number of reports is about 3,000 fewer than 2019, before COVID forced schools to go virtual and activities to shut down.
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The report says about 5,000, or 13% of, reported cases in 2022 were substantiated through an investigation:
Miller-Wilson says anyone can report suspected abuse or neglect to the ChildLine at 800-932-0313.
“If they have a reasonable cause to suspect that a child has been abused, we're encouraging them to make the report better to err on the side of caution and make the call than not.”
The report finds sexual abuse is the leading type of substantiated abuse, and parents most often responsible for any type of abuse of a child.
“Sexual abuse remains the leading category of substantiated child abuse. And then that's followed by physical abuse. And parents continue to be the persons most responsible for all types of abuse of their children.”
There were 60 substantiated fatalities in 2022, two more than 2021, and 236 near-fatalities last year, 19 more than the previous year.
Miller-Wilson says they urge anyone who has a reasonable belief that a child may be abused or neglected to err on the side of caution and call the PA ChildLine at 800-932-0313.
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