HOUSTON – Two Texas organizations and community leaders from the Houston area are kicking off Child Abuse Prevention Month in April.
The Children’s Assessment Center, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and several area officials held a news conference to bring awareness of child abuse and neglect.
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“All Texans need to work together to strengthen and grow community support to keep children and families safe and together when possible,” said Monica Sanders, who is Regional Director of Texas Dept. of Family and Protective Services focusing in child protection investigations.
Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee said the number one place people would recognize child abuse and neglect is in the classroom. But the pandemic made it difficult to identify those cases with many kids unable to attend school.
“We saw less and less of child abuse and neglect reports and our office maintained a steady caseload,” Menefee said, referring to 2020. “...About 2300 cases in total.”
According to a news release, more than 68,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect across the state of Texas.