April is recognized as Child Abuse Prevention month in Arizona. It is an opportunity to focus on child abuse and what each person in the state can do to ensure the safety and well being of children. In Arizona last year there were 38,229 reports of child maltreatment. More than 3,000 of those reports were from Child Protective Services District III, which covers Navajo, Apache, Yavapai and Coconino Counties. CPS provides services to families to remedy problems and allow children to remain safely in their homes.
Physical abuse includes non-accidental injuries such as burns, bruises, cuts or broken bones.
Sexual abuse includes adults engaging in sexual contact with children, or involving children in pornography or prostitution. Neglect includes not providing a child with necessary supervision, food, clothing, shelter or medical care, which causes a substantial risk or harm to the child. Emotional abuse includes making a child feel rejected, terrorized, berated, humiliated or isolated. While committed to working with families and communities to prevent and respond to child abuse and neglect, CPS cannot do it alone. The Department of Economic Security is a human services agency dedicated to working with Arizonans to achieve self-sufficiency.