Letter - Eyes should be opened to child abuse percentages in Minnesota

To the editor:

National child abuse statistics show that a child abuse report is received every 10 seconds, and more than five children die every day due to abuse. Eighty percent of these children that die from abuse are younger than age 4.

The main types of child abuse are neglect, which is the worst at 78.3 percent; physical abuse is 17.6 percent; other abuse is 10.3 percent; sexual abuse is 9.2 percent; psychological maltreatment is 8.1 percent; and medical neglect abuse is 2.4 percent.

Children who are abused at a young age are 25 percent more likely to experience teen pregnancy. Out of the men and women in prison today, 14 percent of men were abused and 36 percent of women were abused.

Seeing the statistic’s nationwide, you wonder what our state rates are. Compared to the sexual abuse nationwide at 9.2 percent, Minnesota ranks at 18.5 percent and physical abuse is 9.2 percent nationally and we are 20.4 percent in Minnesota.

In 2010, there were 55,888 referrals of child abuse and neglect in Minnesota, which resulted in a total of 14 deaths that year. Seeing these comparisons, it opens your eyes to how bad child abuse really is in our state and how it has affected us. So stand up against child abuse today and make a difference!

Megan Mattson and Dawn Just,

ATCC child development

program students

Alexandria, MN

Tags: opinion, letters