MISSOULA — A national pediatrics group says in the United States, more than 500,000 children experienced child abuse or neglect in 2022 and that over 2,000 of them died.
There were 6,826 reports of child abuse or neglect involving more than 10,270 children last year in Montana. With this, October 4 has been declared as TEN-4 Day, an acronym used to identify child abuse.
The “TEN-4 FACESp” is a tool helpful to evaluate and treat children who might be suffering from abuse.
The acronym refers to different areas of the body to look at for signs of potential abuse, mainly bruising in areas that aren’t common, such as the torso, ears and neck.
But even with this tool, experts still note that it is often difficult to identify abuse.
“I feel like one of the hardest things for physical abuse is the child may not necessarily have any signs of injury at the time that you’re interacting with the child. Which is why it’s important to have a questioning mind” said Laurie Carter, pediatric hospitalist and child abuse champion for the Montana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
If you suspect a child you know may be suffering from abuse, you can report it to the Montana Department of Health and Human Services at 866-820-5437.
