Casey Anthony Case Overshadows Widespread Abuse and Neglect of America's Kids

The Casey Anthony trial and the terrible story of the death and dismemberment of 8-year-old Leiby Kletsky in Brooklyn this week has captivated our nation like so many high profile cases in the past. 

While many might believe that cases like this will bring attention to the issue of protecting our children, at the end of the day these individual stories only highlight the tip of the iceberg.... 

The reality is that 150 children, most under the age of four, die every month from abuse or neglect. While high profile cases do bring awareness, they take our focus off the real issue of suffering children. 

According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), more than 3.3 million reports of child abuse are made every year, the 2009 Child Maltreatment report from HHS estimates that 1,770 child abuse deaths occurred in 2009, and this number is on the rise. 

Child abuse is an epidemic and brutal deaths happen every day at every socioeconomic level, across ethnic and cultural lines, within all religions and at all levels of education. 

For those of us that work to prevent and treat child abuse we deal with stories and images like this every day. Horror stories of parents locking their children in cages, ...... Read more