LANSING (WKZO AM/FM) — This is Child Abuse Prevention month and new legislation has just passed unanimously in the Michigan Senate, will stiffen penalties for child abusers who repeatedly offend.
Sponsor Peter Lucido says currently abusers face the same sentence for their 3rd and 4th offense as for their first conviction. His bills change that. The bills now head to the house for their consideration.
Here is a surprising and disturbing statistic. 16 new cases of child abuse are reported every day in Kalamazoo County.
Sara Joshi with the Kalamazoo County Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Council says that’s a lot of children living with trauma.
She says with new research showing that childhood trauma is a leading cause of most problems in adulthood, child abuse prevention could have a profound effect on society over time.
They will be handing out awards Friday evening at Old Burdick to people who have worked hard in the last year to help children avoid or escape abuse.
