MICHIGAN
The Herald-Palladium
August 1, 2020
By Julie Swidha
Child abuse reporting is down, but authorities are worried
Authorities have seen a dramatic decrease in the number of child abuse cases being reported, but they aren’t viewing it as good news.
Berrien County Prosecutor Michael Sepic and Jamie Rossow, executive director of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Michigan, say they suspect that child abuse is actually up and is just not being reported. They said this is occurring not just locally but all across the country.
Sepic and Rossow said in a joint news release Friday that they suspect stress and isolation from the COVID-19 pandemic has likely increased instances of child abuse and, for some children, has created a dangerous environment. Many reports of suspected abuse come from school officials, and schools have not been in session since March.
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