Child Abuse Child Abuse Child abuse rates have worsened substantially over time. In 1996, more than 51 out of every 1000 Connecticut children were referred in cases of child abuse, repeating last year s worst rate on record. There were 7 child abuse and neglect related fatalities in Connecticut in 1996.
Child abuse is one of the most serious problems affecting the nation today.
In Connecticut, as in the nation, reports of child abuse have increased more than four fold since 1970. Since 1990, reports of child abuse have more than doubled in Connecticut. The most dramatic increase occurred between 1994 and 1995, when the child abuse rate worsened by 41 percent. This year s data suggest that the 1995 numbers were not an aberration, but the beginning of an alarming trend. The corresponding reporting rate was 51.6 per 1000 children under 18, following last year s rate of 52.1.