You may have seen the signs at banks and outside municipal offices in Fannin County that say ‘No Excuse for Child Abuse.’ That message seems to have gone somewhat unheeded.
According to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, child abuse rates in the county increased 25 percent last year over 2015. That’s 135 victims of child abuse in 2016 compared to about a hundred the year before.
"I’ve been here 16 years and I’ve watch the numbers kind of ebb and flow and this is honestly the worst I’ve seen it in the 16 years I’ve been here, which is certainly not happy news," says Sandy Barber,executive director for the Fannin County Children’s Center in Bonham.
Barber says the center has seen a corresponding increase in demand for services along with the rise in rates. And, there’s no one, simple reason to point to for why the numbers have increased.
"Child abuse is a complex problem and it requires complex solutions and complex systems that try to address," she says. "It’s not an easy answer, which is also why there’s not an easy answer as to why these numbers go up."
The center offers free classes to help people understand and recognize the signs of abuse.
