Reports of child abuse dropped 50 percent during the first two weeks after Wisconsin schools closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, but that doesn’t mean fewer kids are at risk as families shelter in place, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. As families suffer more stress, the people required to report suspected abuse, such as teachers, have less contact with children who may need help. “Child abuse tends to go up when people are under more stress,” said Susan Conwell of the child advocacy organization Kids Matter. “More economic stress is part of that, and people being stuck at home. Mental health is part of the problem, and that doesn’t get easier. Alcohol abuse and drug abuse don’t just magically disappear.” With abuse likely rising and reporting down, experts are encouraging friends and neighbors to be vigilant and are bracing for a flood of kids in need when life returns to some semblance of normal.
Those required to report abuse and neglect have had less in-person contact with children during the crisis, says Emilie Amundson of the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. That includes teachers, child care providers, police and social workers. What’s happening now seems similar to what researchers found after the 2008 recession: An increased risk of child abuse. Circumstances are arguably worse now as financial stress combines with social isolation, resulting in fewer people to help struggling parents. Teresa Huizar of the National Children’s Alliance says, “If you have a fragile family that might have been holding it together, but now maybe they’ve lost their job, they’re worrying about housing, they haven’t yet gotten their stimulus payment … you can just see the mounting pressures on those families … If we don’t get those people some help, that pressure cooker is going to explode and can result in harm to kids.”