Amid pandemic child abuse reports down, as expected

MEDFORD, Ore. – Child abuse reports in Oregon have decreased since the start of the shutdown in March.

The Oregon Department of Human Services, DHS, says while child abuse calls have decreased during the global pandemic, that doesn’t mean it still isn’t prevalent within the community.

“Children are spending less time in the community and less time around mandatory reporters,” said DHS Press Secretary, Jake Sunderland.

The DHS says even though the state isn’t completely reopened it’s up to community members to look out for one another.

If a child seems excessively withdrawn, fearful of doing something wrong, or flinches from sudden movement that could be a sign of emotional or even physical abuse. You can report potential abuse to DHS through it’s hotline 1-855-503-safe.