Abuse Still Being Kept Secret
Few penalties for keeping child abuse secret
Every state has laws requiring some adults to alert authorities when they suspect a child has been abused or neglected. This chart shows which types of adults are specifically required to report, and whether failing to report abuse is a crime. Laws that could punish doctors, teachers and other adults for keeping silent when they suspect a child has been abused have gone largely unenforced over the past decade. Those state laws require people who work closely with children to alert police or child-welfare investigators anytime they so much as suspect a child has been abused. Yet a USA TODAY examination of police and court records from across the USA found that a combination of infrequent enforcement and small penalties means adults often have little to fear from concealing abuse.
---------------------------------------------By the time you finish reading this, 15 children will have been abused; In the next five minutes, 30 more; Within the next hour, 360 more; And by tonight, close to 8,000+ children will have suffered from abuse, 5 of which will die. Child abuse has increased 134% since 1980 and is now considered a worldwide epidemic. The high jump in child abuse deaths and the shocking increase in statistics highlights the frightening lack of public knowledge.
Educate Yourself -- Learn the Facts
It May Just Save a Child's Life!!
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