After declining for several years, data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows cases of child abuse and neglect in Mississippi have been on the rise since 2020.
In 2022, the most recent year with available data, more than 9,000 Mississippi children were reported in the system, and the vast majority were first time victims.
But up until now, the manner in which those cases were investigated and prosecuted differed between each of Mississippi's 82 counties.
That’s why the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Mississippi is partnering with the Attorney General's office and Department of Public Safety to form a multidisciplinary approach to all stages of a child abuse case: intervention, investigation, prosecution, and healing.
Karla Steckler Tye is the organization’s executive director.
“This is not just a set of procedures – it is a promise. A promise that we will come together in our collective responsibility to protect children,” she said. “A promise that every professional and agency will act with urgency, accountability and compassion. It is about the collective strength of our resolve to stand with the children who need us most.”
According to Attorney General Lynn Fitch, cases of both child abuse and neglect have been on the rise since 2020, following years of falling numbers. She says she wants officials, families and community leaders from across the state to prepare to implement the new statewide protocol by Oct. 1.
“By doing this, we secure the best outcomes for the child’s wellbeing, and the greatest opportunity for these children to have a justice [sic] achieved on their behalf.”
