An average of 25 children are abused or neglected in the United States every day. In Southeastern Ohio, child maltreatment is an overwhelming problem.
In 2009 alone, 1,449 allegations of child abuse and neglect were made by phone or in writing to Athens County Children Services, according to a recent annual report. This, however, is a small number compared with the total 133,554 referrals made in the state, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and Athens County Children Services hosted several events in a special effort to raise awareness for mistreated children.
The month started with Pinwheels for Prevention during the first week of the month. More than 1,000 little blue pinwheels were placed along East State Street to exhibit the number of referrals in the last year.
Tomorrow, Children Services will bring Child Abuse Prevention Month activities to a close with Kidfest. Now in its 22nd year, the annual event helps promote child safety, health and welfare in Athens.
“Kidfest provides a chance for parents and their children to spend time together without the stresses of everyday life,” said Sherri Oliver, community
events coordinator.
Andrea Reik, executive director of the agency, believes these everyday stresses are one reason for the increasing number of abuse allegations in the last month.
“We don’t really know why people are calling in more right now,” she said. “But the issue of basic needs like food and shelter, added to other family issues, could all be factors.”
More than 80 percent of duplicate perpetrators in child abuse and neglect cases are victims’ parents, according to a 2009 report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The declining economy has taken a toll on the already poverty-stricken region, and some parents are taking it out on their children.
“There is a definite correlation between the economy and child abuse,” said Erin Nash, executive director of the Athens Child Advocacy Center. “Parents are stressed, and that tends to manifest itself in frustration toward their children.”
An increase in heroin addiction and prescription drug abuse also is posing a threat to children in the region. The number of babies who are born addicted to illegal substances has grown substantially already this year, Reik said.
The Child Advocacy Center recently has been faced with a much older crowd in sexual and physical abuse cases.
Today, Nash calls the majority of people they serve compliant victims, children between ages 13 and 18 who think they are having consensual sex with people older than 18. In reports from the last five years, 10 percent of victims said their perpetrators were someone they were dating.
In 97 percent of local sexual abuse cases from 2006 to 2010, the perpetrator was someone the victim knew, according to the Child Advocacy Center.
Although Kidfest will bring Child Abuse Prevention Month to a close, Athens County Children Services is preparing for the National Foster Care Month ahead.
Throughout May, Children Services will celebrate local foster care with events such as the annual Foster Parent Recognition Banquet, where they will award the foster parent of the year.
Since 2006, the number of licensed foster care homes in Athens has increased by 42 percent. Today, there are 47 foster homes in the county and 48 children in permanent custody of Children Services, waiting to be adopted.
“These are not just a number,” Reik said. “These are real kids with personalities.”
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