Calls to child abuse hotlines have dropped since losing key watchdogs at schools that have closed because of the coronavirus. But officials say families are stressed and kids are suffering in silence.
FILE - In this April 10, 2020 file photo, Adams Elementary School third-grade teacher Lisel Corneil, left, and fifth-grade teacher Allie Campbell are among educators who constructed from plastic drinking cups a "We Miss You All-Stars" message to their students in a fence in Spokane, Wash.
“When there are large-scale job losses in communities, child maltreatment rates go up,” said Anna Gassman-Pines, a Duke University public policy professor whose expertise includes the effect of unemployment on children. “So we all need to be thinking about, during this time of stay-at-home orders and widespread economic strain, that those are the conditions under which families with preexisting vulnerabilities might be under — a lot of increased strain and stress.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine recently echoed that sentiment, saying “we do not have enough eyes on these children” and asking “everyone else to try to be more vigilant.” “My concern is children for whom school was a safe space are now perhaps in environments where they really don’t have a lot of leverage to move or go outside or leave — that they’re in unsafe environments,” Cook said.
The decrease in calls is more than the typical drop seen during the summer break, when agencies still receive reports from day care providers or other community members who interact with children.
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