Despite predictions, new report shows decrease in number of US children suffering abuse, By David Crary (AP), December 16, 2010, Los Angeles Times: “The rate of child maltreatment in the U.S. decreased in 2009 for the third consecutive year, according to new federal figures. Although the decrease was slight, it ran counter to the predictions of some experts that the onset of the recession in late 2008 would trigger an upsurge of abuse. The annual report from the Department of Health and Human Services, issued Thursday, said the estimated number of victimized children dropped from 772,000 in 2008 to 763,000 last year. That’s down from 903,000 in 2006. The rate of abuse was 10.1 per 1,000 children, down from 10.3 in 2008, to reach the lowest level since the current tracking system began in 1990. The number of fatalities arising from abuse and neglect, however, rose slightly, from 1,740 in 2008 to 1,770 last year…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty