OR: Child Abuse Rises in Wake of Addiction Program Cuts
Child-abuse cases in Oregon rose 19 percent after the state legislature made sharp cuts in funding for addiction-treatment programs, the Tacoma News Tribune reported June 6.
State officials said that alcohol and other drug abuse — which play a major role in 48 percent of child-abuse cases — was the biggest factor behind the increase. Oregon child-abuse cases have risen 125 percent in the past decade, with methamphetamine use a significant part of the trend.
The fiscal-year 2005 data come from the annual report of the Oregon Department of Human Services. The Oregon legislature cut treatment funding in 2003, in the midst of a state budget crisis.
