One in every 25 children in Tulsa County, or at least one student in every classroom, will suffer from some
form of abuse or neglect.
That's the latest statistic from the Child Abuse Network, which, along with law enforcement and child services groups, helps those affected by abuse inform the proper authorities, said managing director Rose Turner during an interview last week.
"The last couple of years, we've had about 2,500 new children a year. That's capacity for our staff," Turner said. "In January, we saw the most new kids ever, at 268."
CAN statistics indicate personnel on-site assisted 20 percent more new children in Tulsa County last year than in 2008, and those reports have involved increasingly more severe allegations. Turner said she believes reasons for the increase run the gamut from the public's increased awareness of what constitutes abuse to higher stress levels within families due to employment and other economic difficulties.
"A lot of people want to say they only see abuse in 'poor' people, but it affects all socioeconomic backgrounds," she said. "Abuse often has such an element of secrecy surrounding it."
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