Child Abuse Cases Up 70% in Four Years|統計:兒虐案近4年增七成 每日發生164件
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Mid-Autumn is a time for happy family gatherings, however, it not be so for everyone. According to statistics, the number of reported child abuses has skyrocketed 70 percent in the past four years. On average, 164 cases of are reported every day. The Ministry of Health and Welfare says, it will strengthen the support and its efforts to prevent tragedies from happening again.
On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, there were reports that a Hsinchu man and his live-in partner had tied the man's three-year-old son to their balcony. According to official statistics, the number of reported child abuse cases in Taiwan has skyrocketed over 70 percent in the past four years. On average, there are 164 new cases reported every day. One expert says the most common causes of child abuse are dysfunctional relationships between the parents and financial issues. When parents can't cope, they often take it out on their children. Drugs and alcohol also play a role.
If parents regard their children as their property, the children easily become punching bags for them.
Between 2003 and 2012, the number of reported child abuse cases in Taiwan jumped from 8,000 to 30,000. The number soared to almost 60,000 last year. Over 12,000 cases were reported in the first quarter of this year, which equates to 140 per day, six per hour, or one every 10 minutes.
Not all reported cases of child abuse are real though. We send social workers to their house to find out what is really happening. If there really is child abuse going on, we will immediately provide assistance.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare says the reporting system is an important mechanism and children are taken into protective custody if they are confirmed to really have been abused. The ministry says it will prevent child abuse in the future by strengthening the social safety network and helping disadvantaged families through community outreach programs.
