PHOENIX — The rate of children in Arizona dying as a result of abuse or neglect continues to increase each year, according to a new report tracking childhood mortality.
Up to 146 children in the southwestern state were the victims of abuse or neglect in 2022, which accounts for a 12% increase from 2021. A previous report shows that abuse-related child deaths increased by 36% between 2020 and 2021.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Reporte: Aumenta el porcentaje de niños de Arizona que mueren por abuso o negligencia
The juvenile homicide rate increased by 3% between 2021 and 2022, with most of the deaths being the result of a firearm injury.
The data was compiled in a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which determined that all of Arizona's abuse-related child deaths in 2022 were preventable.
"Overall, Arizona’s neglect/abuse mortality rate has increased since 2014," the report states. "In 2022, 90% of all neglect/abuse deaths involved neglect and 14% involved abuse."
A breakdown of the abuse-related deaths shows that 44 of them were the result of suffocation.
Arizona's rate of unexpected deaths among infants -- which are often the result of unsafe sleeping environments -- increased by 13% in 2022, according to the report.
Authors of the report noted how parental substance abuse was a common factor in many of these abuse-related deaths and recommended publicly increasing awareness of the risks associated with abusing illegal substances.
The full report can be read here.
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