Child Abuse in Oklahoma : Statistics You Need to Know

So, last week I shared with you some facts and signs of child abuse and neglect. I hope that many of you out there - whether you are a parent, a teacher, a child care worker, or just someone who spends most of their days with children or have children that are near and dear to your hearts - found some of what we discussed helpful and feel armed and ready to identify and report abuse if you see it.

Today, I would like to share with you some of the facts and statistics from the Oklahoma Department of Human Services fiscal year report and findings on child abuse and neglect. You can read their report yourself at http://www.okdhs.org/NR/rdonlyres/3961E199-D87F-446E-9B95-123442A69EE5/0/S12091_ChildAbuseandNeglectStatistics_cwsoprs_01012013.pdf
The fiscal year runs from July 2011 through June 2012. As of today, we are almost to the end of the next fiscal year, which will end after June 2013. Therefore, some of this data is a little outdated, but still important to consider until the next report brings us the most up-to-date data.

So, last year OKDHS received 68, 111 reports on families and determined after stringent screening that 32, 421 reports had allegations that met the definition, as outline by the state of Oklahoma, of abuse and neglect. These required investigation. That means that 48% of reports of abuse were determined to be abusive situations.

In Oklahoma County alone there were 6,540 accepted cases alone. That is 17.9 cases accepted every single day. Which means that the state total was 88.2 allegations per day that met the definition of abuse last year in the state of Oklahoma.

These are staggering numbers! In order for you to apply the knowledge, facts, and signs that we discussed in last weeks blog, we at Family Builders think it is extremely important for you to understand what the numbers of abuse look like in our state. These are children - your children, our children, children you know, friends of your own children - from all demographics, all types of households and religions, that are being abused every single day in this state. That is so sad! But you can prevent it. Remember to know the facts, and recognize the signs. You can refer to our website for advice or call if you need to report a case of abuse! www.familybuildersok.org

Remember, abuse happens every single day. Stay informed!
Enjoy the week and enjoy your kids!