N.C. Invests Little to Prevent Child Abuse and Ultimately Pays a Higher Price

In North Carolina, the number of reports of child abuse and neglect has increased by 29 percent over the past 19 years at the same time that state and federal investments have held steady. As National Child Abuse Prevention Month comes to an end, it is worth reviewing the importance of our fiscal decisions on the goal of protecting each child from abuse and neglect. The long-term impact of child abuse—and Adverse Childhood Experiences—is far-reaching; without a commitment to prevention and to effective systems and support for treatment, the effects of childhood abuse can generate a host of lifetime personal and societal costs.