There’s even more evidence that instances of child abuse are going unreported during this global health crisis. ABC News reports that Texas has seen a 48% drop and that Pennsylvania has seen a 50% drop.

To be clear, the drop in calls to child abuse hotlines is not a good thing:

“While we wish that a data trend of fewer child abuse reports could be reasonably interpreted to indicate fewer instances of child abuse, we know this is unlikely to be the case,” the press secretary of the department of human services in Pennsylvania said. “Rather, one unfortunate effect of temporary school closures is the lack of interaction between children, their teachers, and other mandated reporters in school settings.

 

A child sheltering in a dangerous place – cut off from his school and support network – is in a crisis. The number of trusted adults he interacts with has plummeted. Perhaps it’s a teacher through a webcam or a social worker over the phone – but it’s not as often or as personal of an interaction.

Those folks on the front line of protecting children during this crisis deserve tremendous praise. If you’re one of those frontline responders, we at the Beau Biden Foundation thank you. But more importantly, the children you protect thank you.

If you have reasonable suspicion of abuse, please click here to find the child abuse reporting line in your area and make the call.