Coming Your Way...
A Darkening Picture: Child Abuse in Iowa

Last year, more than 12,000 Iowa children experienced abuse.

The Iowa Department of Human Services received 25,696 reports of suspected child abuse in 2001, and confirmed 8,900 of these cases. In all, 12,117 Iowa children were abused -- an increase of more than 22% over the year before.

Nearly 10,000 of these abused children suffered from "neglect" -- the denial of critical care. Some 2,442 were physically injured; 1,094 were sexually abused; 375 were affected by the presence of illegal drugs, and 29 were mentally injured.

As Prevent Child Abuse Iowa points out , "Iowans should be concerned about this darker picture... a reality coming to light at a time when there are fewer state resources to provide the help these children need."

We realize that the professionals who provide care for Iowa's children are concerned about declining resources in a time of increasing need. As a result, the next three issues of this newsletter will focus on child abuse. Authors will include pediatricians and other health care providers, as well as professionals from such disciplines as sociology and the legal profession.

Our goal will be to provide practical information on such topics as risk factors for abuse, anticipatory guidance, identification of abuse, legal issues, and referral resources for children and their families.