Since 1983, the U.S. has recognized April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Impacting approximately 700,000 victims in the U.S. each year, child abuse and neglect are among the most significant public health crises facing children today. According to the Administration for Children & Families, in 2017, 3.5 million children received a child protective services (CPS) investigation response, an increase of 10% since 2013.

Each day in America, almost five children die as a result of child abuse; nearly 50% of these children are under the age of one. Over 80% of these child fatalities involve at least one parent. Child abuse impacts children of every socioeconomic level, ethnicity, gender, religion, and cultural group.

Although these statistics might be overwhelming, the sad reality is that they are under-reported. Every 10 seconds, a child abuse case is reported; however, as many as 9 in every 10 cases go unreported.

Child abuse and neglect is not just a national issue. Between July 1, 2017, and June 20, 2018, the Virginia Department of Social Services identified 22,166 cases of child abuse and neglect in Northern Virginia; 7,285 of these cases were in Prince William County. Over the past three years, PWC Child Protective Services (CPS) has received 13,526 reports of child abuse. These numbers do not include the surrounding cities of Manassas City and Manassas Park, which had 1,613 and 506 reports respectively over the past three years.

Victims of child abuse and neglect are subject to consequences that could have a lifelong and even inter-generational impact. These consequences include a higher rate of teen pregnancy (25%), psychological impairments such as low self-esteem, anxiety, disorder and depression, difficulty forming and maintaining relationships, imprisonment, and substance abuse. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that the United States spends $428 billion per year for substantiated cases of nonfatal child abuse and neglect.

While the statistics are daunting, there is hope! As a survivor of child sexual abuse and a founder of a nonprofit organization (Stomp Out the Silence – SOS) dedicated to ending child sexual abuse, I know that child abuse and neglect are preventable with increased awareness and education. Prevention starts with being willing to address the issue because you cannot heal what you are unwilling to acknowledge.

As the saying goes, the first step to solving a problem is to admit that there is a problem. Child abuse is a heartbreaking topic, and many people shy away from discussing the issue because it is uncomfortable, or they do not want to believe that it could happen in their community. Child abuse occurs in every community. That is why it is essential that we, as advocates, continue to be the voice for our respective communities.

Beyond shining the light on the issue, the most impactful tool is to train adults to recognize and prevent child abuse and neglect. Prevention training is a broad category, but it includes learning the signs, changing social norms to support parents and positive parenting, minimizing the opportunity, talking to children about child abuse and neglect, and advocating for legislative changes that will help families such as early childhood home visitations and universal preschool.

Together, we can stomp out the silence on child abuse and neglect and work to reduce the number of victims “From One Less to No More.”

What can you do?

To report suspected child abuse:

Prince William County DSS – (703)792-7500

Manassas City DSS – (703) 361-8277

Manassas Park DSS – (703) 335-8880

For Prevention Training

Stomp Out the Silence (SOS) – www.stompoutthesilence.org

SCAN of Northern Virginia – www.scanva.org

Advocacy

Voices for Virginia’s Children – www.vakids.org

Families Forward Virginia – www.familiesforwardva.org