05-02-2025
2024 child abuse statistics report released by the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network
CHARLESTON, WV (WVNS) — A report on child abuse statistics for the Mountain State through 2024 was released by the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network.
According to a press release, the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network (WVCAN) released the Statewide Data Report for child abuse statistics in West Virginia for the 2024 fiscal year, July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.
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The press release stated that the information was from the 21 Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) in the Mountain State that offer service to 47 of the 55 counties in West Virginia. CACs are child-friendly areas where child protection, criminal justice, and child treatment professionals work together to investigate abuse, hold offenders accountable, and help children heal.
4,909 children were served by CACs in West Virginia during the 2024 fiscal year. This was an eight percent increase in new kids who were served over the previous five years.
According to the press release, report details include:
4,702 forensic interviews were conducted
16 percent of the children served were there because of allegations of drug endangerment, four times higher than the national average
48 percent of the children served were there because of allegations of sexual abuse
44 percent of the children served by CACs were between seven and 12 years old
95 percent of alleged offenders were someone the child knew
30 percent of children are reported to have one or more disabilities
846 cases had charges filed
336 individuals were convicted for crimes against children
330,147 children (93 percent of the state's population) live in a county officially served by a CAC
22,217 children (seven percent of the state's population) live in a county without official CAC coverage
In the past year, the number of children referred to West Virginia CACs due to suspected drug endangerment was four times the national average. aid Shiloh Woodard, Interim Chief Executive Officer of the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network. We must do all that we can to ensure the stability and continuity of our 21 Child Advocacy Centers in the Mountain State so that critical services to child survivors of abuse and children and youth who have been exposed to the opioid epidemic can continue to be provided.
Shiloh Woodard | Interim Chief Executive Officer of the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network
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Caregivers that visited CACs were requested to take a survey, and 97 percent of the caregivers stated that if they knew about people in similar situation's they would inform the person about the child advocacy centers.
66 percent of children who had forensic interviews at a CAC reported abuse in the 2024 fiscal year, and 34 percent of children who were interviewed did not report abuse during the interviews. Even though some children may not disclose any information, multidisciplinary teams at CACs could have good cause to investigate any reports that resulted in the child being at a CAC.
According to the press release, data on reported vs. disclosed abuse, criminal justice response, victim demographics, alleged offender demographics, services performed, and CAC income budget breakdown were included in the report released by the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network.
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