Due to the work of numerous children’s advocacy groups, including the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths (NCECAD), the issue of child abuse and neglect deaths in the United States is beginning to attract both national and international media attention, as well as the attention of Congress. For example, provisions related to compiling information on child maltreatment deaths is included in the recently passed Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act (S 1542/HR2883).
In addition, the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) has just completed an investigative news report on the scope of the problem of child abuse fatalities in the United States, with a particular focus on Texas—a state with one of the highest incidences of child death in the nation.
This story is expected to air the week of October 10th on BBC World News affiliates, including PBS and NPR stations in most American cities. The entire 22-minute program will also be available on the BBC website following the international broadcast.
Although the NCECAD partners have not seen the segment, BBC’s producers said their goal was to present the complex challenges and urgency of reducing child abuse deaths, and highlight the need for a greater focus on prevention. Raising the issue in the media as a national problem can help educate the public and lawmakers.
Please let us know what you think once the program airs. For more information about the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths and its partners, please visit www.endchildabusedeaths.org
