Child abuse reports increase, number of victims declines

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A national data collection system shows the number of child abuse reports in North Dakota rose last year (2021), but the number of victims declined. Officials at Child Protection Services in North Dakota say the increase in reported cases may be up because people in general are more vigilant about contacting authorities about suspected abuse and because North Dakota shifted to a centralized reporting line in January 2021. Data shows there were 16,907 reports of child abuse last year in the state. Of those reports, 1,349 children were found to be victims of child abuse.