When it comes to abused children, the State of Texas has the lowest rate of removal of abused children from violent homes and as a result, Texas has the highest number of child abuse fatalities in America, reports the Guardian.
The news about Texas child abuse comes as there is a new spotlight being put on child abuse in America. It turns out, according to the Guardian, that in the past decade nearly 20,000 American children have been killed by their family members. This is more than the number of men and women killed in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. In fact, America has the worst child abuse record of all the countries in the industrialized world.
According to this report, child abuse in America is triple that of Canada and 11 times that of Italy.
In light of those bleak figures, the fact that Texas has the highest number of child abuse fatalities in America, is very bad news for the state.
While there will be plenty of discussion about what lawmakers and Texas Child Protective Services need to do better, there is one thing that many Texans can do to protect children: report suspicious incidents of abuse.
In fact, according to Texas Family Code Chapter 261, it is actually mandatory upon some groups of Texas to report child abuse. The Texas Family Code 261.101(b) sets forth the rule for mandatory report of abuse. It requires "professionals" to report child abuse within 48 hours of when it is first suspected. The statute assures that reporting child abuse would be anonymous. And the term "professional" is defined as follows:
In this subsection, "professional" means an individual who is licensed or certified by the state or who is an employee of a facility licensed, certified, or operated by the state and who, in the normal course of official duties or duties for which a license or certification is required, has direct contact with children. The term includes teachers, nurses, doctors, day-care employees, employees of a clinic or health care facility that provides reproductive services, juvenile probation officers, and juvenile detention or correctional officers.
So, if you are a Texan and fall in this group, you have a part to play in reducing child abuse in the state. The Texas abuse hotline number is: 1-800-252-5400.
Related Resources:
- Find a Houston Family Law attorney (FindLaw)
- Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse (FindLaw)
- False Child Abuse Allegation (FindLaw)
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