New federal report shows drop in child abuse rates, By David Crary (AP), April 1, 2010, Washington Post: “The rate of child maltreatment in the U.S. dipped in 2008 to its lowest level since 1990, but the number of abuse-related child fatalities continued to rise, according to new federal figures. The annual report from the Department of Health and Human Services, issued Thursday, said the estimated number of victimized children had dropped sharply, from 903,000 in 2006 to 772,000 in 2008. However, there were 1,740 reported fatalities, up from 1,330 in 2000. Carmen Nazario, HHS assistant secretary for children and families, said she was encouraged by the decrease in maltreatment, but sounded a note of caution. ‘The results show too many children still suffer from abuse and neglect, and we have not yet experienced the full impact from the economic situation,’ she said. The HHS data was for the 2008 fiscal year, ending Sept. 30, and did not reflect the recession that took hold in the final months of that year…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty