Experts-pediatricians and professionals specializing in cases of ill-treatment of children noted significant reduction in the number of calls to the hotline after the beginning of the crisis coronavirus.
According to experts, 90% of cases of child abuse are someone the child already knows. They say this can happen in the child’s home as the result of stress in family members in a moment of crisis. «We remember the economic crisis of 2009-2010, the crisis has led to increased cases of ill-treatment of children, and domestic violence,» said Dr. Karen Farst, Director on work with children at risk at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.
According to Dr. Farst and Elizabeth Pulli, Executive Director Children’s Advocacy Centers of Arkansas, school is a safe place for many children who face violence. Every year teachers make 60 thousand calls to «hotline» to the police of Arkansas.
But the outbreak of the coronavirus led to less communication between teachers and children, which led to fewer reports of violence.
«We still see such things, but now we are confronted with cases of poor supervision of the children,» says Dr. Farst.
Pulli believes that the state will celebrate the growth of calls to «hot line» when the kids go back to school, as students once again begin to share issues with their teachers.
Meanwhile, Pulli says that society should look after children who may be in danger. «Any change in behavior. Anger, hostility, aggression, depression, anxiety, any unusual fears, which may be the child, a change in eating habits or sleep. It is important things that you need to pay attention,» explains Pulli.
Dr. Farst says that after COVID-19 the HCPs will be a lot of work. «There will come a time when we can exhale and say the virus at the point when he has not much affected, but after the coronavirus will be ongoing psychological problems,» she says.
