Child Abuse

Child abuse

Maureen Basenberg, child-advocacy programs director for Child Help, an Arizona non-profit institution, said "child abuse throughout the nation and in Arizona is unfortunately continuing to increase."

Certainly societal factors such as increased pressures from a poor economy contribute to this, as do more limited state resources for families in need of assistance, she said.

Basenberg said that state and national records show:

- In 2009, 64 child deaths in Arizona were attributed to maltreatment, an increase from the prior year's 51, according to the Arizona Child Fatality Report, released in November.

- On average, one child is abused or neglected every hour in Arizona.

- In fiscal 2010, Arizona Child Protective Services received more than 33,000 reports involving the alleged maltreatment of approximately 45,000 children.

- Nationally, five children die each day from child abuse, although that number is likely too low, according to the Government Accountability Office in a new report to Congress.

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