Abuse Reports Show Two-Year Decline, but Severity of Cases Rises

Although the number of reported child abuse and neglect cases in Orange County has sharply declined over the past two years, the severity of cases has increased, according to statistics released Tuesday by the Child Abuse Prevention Council.

The council reported 34,675 cases of suspected abuse and neglect in 1996, down 9% from the year before and a 23% drop over a two-year period.

“I expect the numbers to steadily decline in the future,” said Barbara Oliver, the council’s executive director. She attributed the trend to increased public awareness promoted by child abuse prevention groups.

However, officials are concerned about a rise in the number of victims less than a year old--an increase of 3% last year--and deaths related to child abuse, which remained at 10.

“These are children who are at the highest risk or vulnerability--they can’t tell you that they’re being hurt,” Oliver said. “And when a child dies, it’s the ultimate tragedy of child abuse.”

In the state, Orange County ranked fifth in number of cases reported; Los Angeles County ranked highest, followed by San Diego, San Bernardino, then Sacramento. National statistics were not yet available. The local numbers released by the council were compiled by the Orange County Child Abuse Registry.

Officials who struggle with child abuse prevention said it is virtually impossible to know for certain what’s caused the number of cases to drop or the severity of cases to jump.

“There is no definitive reason why the cases are more severe today, even though the number of reports are down,” Oliver said.

Judy Tanasse, deputy director for Orange County’s Social Services Agency/Children and Family Services, said many factors can influence the numbers.

“For example, when we increased our [phone] staffing, there was a dramatic increase in the number of reports,” she said. “After the bankruptcy we reduced our staff and saw a decline.”

Despite the trend, at the Orangewood Children’s Home, the county facility for abused and neglected children, the average daily population has been at an all-time high, said Gene Howard, executive director of the Orangewood Children’s Foundation. In 1996, a daily average of 236 children marked a 3% increase over 1995.

“We’re also seeing more children who are physically battered than ever before,” said Howard. “We see more children who have been sexually abused, and kids with many more emotional scars than ever before.”

The greater severity of their traumas, he added, makes it more difficult to place them in foster homes.

Other increases include reported cases in the Asian American community, which rose by 34% last year; all other ethnic groups showed a decline. Tanasse said that a recent surge in Asian media attention to abuse prevention explains the jump in reported cases.

“When you go into a community and you start building awareness, people become more aware, so more reports are made,” she said. “It’s an encouraging number because there has been a great deal of effort in Asian media to increase awareness.”

Countywide efforts to expand awareness will get a boost with Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month, produced by the council and beginning April 2.

Organizers hope to reach more than 1 million people with an anti-abuse message, and among other activities plan to distribute 400,000 blue ribbon buttons, which symbolize child abuse prevention. Officials urge anyone concerned with issues relating to child abuse call the Orange County Child Abuse Hotline at (714) 938-0505.