Coronavirus’s collateral damage: Abused and neglected children
By Nelson Bunn and Amy Harfeld on April 18, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic will leave many dead in its wake. Tragically, some of its victims will be children, who may die not as a result of the virus itself, but from child abuse and neglect. During this public health crisis, risk factors for child maltreatment fatalities are sharply on the rise while protective factors for children and families are weakening.
Add to this equation the diminished operations of the courts and the severing of ties between children and most mandated reporters of child abuse, and the elements align to greatly elevate the risk of harm. Yet we know that many of these deaths are preventable if swift action is taken with a shared sense of responsibility to support vulnerable children and their families now.
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