Louisiana among top 12 states in child abuse deaths

Louisiana is among the states with the highest frequency of child deaths related to abuse and neglect, according to an analysis highlighted Tuesday by a coalition of prosecutors and other child advocates.

The National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths named Louisiana among 12 states with disproportionate numbers of cases that the consortium's members said are preventable if the United States makes the issue a priority.

Official government statistics for 2008 put the number of abuse and neglect deaths among children at 1,740. Michael Petit, president of the Every Child Matters Education Fund, said the coalition believes the number is at least 2,500. The government's numbers are based on official reporting by coroners and law enforcement agencies.
Coalition estimates cite academic research that suggests the deaths are under-reported. Besides Petit's group, the consortium comprises the National Children's Alliance, the National District Attorneys Association; the National Association of Social Workers and the National Center for Child Death Review.

Government statistics show that Louisiana had 246 abuse and neglect deaths among children from 2001 to 2008. In 2008, the number was 30 or 2.71 deaths per 100,000 children. Florida had the highest rate at 4.62 deaths per 100,000. Rhode Island reported no such deaths in 2008.

Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Vermont and Wyoming all reported fewer than 1 death per 100,000. Among the state's with populations closest to Louisiana, Alabama's rate was 1.78, South Carolina was 1.97 and Kentucky was 2.18, all lower than Louisiana.
The national rate was 2.4, more than double the rates in the United Kingdom, Japan and Canada, and triple the rate in Germany.

"This is a national epidemic," Petit said.

Despite the numbers, Petit protested, media coverage and political discourse on abuse and neglect is overshadowed by the attention lavished on other public health concerns and causes of death. More media attention is one of the group's top priorities, on the idea that such coverage can drive public discourse and spur elected officials to action.

In a given year, Petit noted, about 900 American deaths are attributed to H1N1 among children, food borne illnesses, military incidents in Iraq and Afghanistan, mining accidents and Toyota accelerator malfunctions.

All of those headlines, he said, vastly outnumber the coverage given to child abuse and neglect deaths, which are often confined to routine crime coverage by local newspapers and television stations.

"We are not minimizing the significance of other causes of death," Petit said. "We are seeking to have child abuse deaths get the attention they deserve."

A 24-page report from the coalition featured pictures of at least one dead child from each state. Samuel and Solomon Simms represented Louisiana. The 6-year-old twins were shown wearing identical sports jerseys, displaying wide smiles beneath blue baseball caps. The boys were found strangled in their Baton Rouge home in May 2007. Sherie Simms, the boys' mother, pleaded guilty and is serving a life prison sentence.

Among the group's policy prescriptions: as much as $5 billion in additional federal spending on attacking child poverty; bolstering the government's child protection system; and training child care workers, educators and health care workers to identify signs of abuse.

Scott Burns, executive director of the National District Attorneys Association, also called for prosecutors to get more involved in public awareness and prevention.
"Prosecutors have typically dealt with this issue only after a child is murdered," he said. "We want to get out ahead of this."

Teresa Huizar, director of the National Children's Alliance, called for a national standard for reporting the deaths.
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I wonder what it is about Louisiana?