The number of cases of child abuse reported in New providence has more than doubled since 1990, it was revealed yesterday by the Ministry of Social Services and Community Development.
As the Ministry of Social Services prepares to host a rally to promote child safety, statistics released by the ministry shows that the number of reported incidnets of child abuse has risen from 215 cases in 1990 to 297 for the first four months of this year.
The department of social services has recorded 40 cases of sexual abuse, 77 cases of physical abuse, 25 incidents of incest, seven cases of verbal abuse reports, four cases of abandonment, 95 cases of neglect and 49 incidents of care and protection abuse for the months from January to June 2004.
Statistics revealed that there were 522 cases of child abuse reported in 2001, 612 in 2002 and 642 in 2003.
Dr. Sandra Dean-Patterson of the Women’s Crisis Centre said that she believes that these numbers represent “only a fraction of cases actually happening.”
Source: Karin Herig, The Tribune
