Child abuse numbers down, but many fear cases are going unreported

By ERIC SEIVERLING

eseiverling@yourmvi.com

It’s a story that grabs headlines, but the numbers stay in the shadows.

The past year’s COVID-19 pandemic resulted in job losses, school closings and holiday cancellations.

But it didn’t stop children from being abused at home, and many officials say child abuse reports and investigations decreased as teachers, coaches and nurses weren’t able to spot the signs of abuse once schools and extracurricular activities came to a halt last March.

For many abused children, their voices were silenced and another set of protective eyes was taken away.

“A lot of the kids weren’t seeing our reporters and doctors’ offices were putting off seeing patients,” said Jason Slonceski, assistant director of the Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau. “So when we saw that big drop in April, it’s not that (abuse) wasn’t happening. It was because nobody was seeing these kids to report it.”

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