In the past year Colorado’s child abuse hotline received over 200,000 calls. That’s a large number, considering this was the hotline’s first year of existence. But the number is deceiving, reports The Denver Post. Almost 80 percent of those calls came from law enforcement, school officials, and others required by law to report suspected abuse or neglect. That means everyday people, neighbors and community members, simply aren’t picking up the phone.
The phone number, 1-844-CO-4-KIDS, is Colorado's first statewide child abuse hotline. And welfare officials want Coloradans to know something: If they report neglect or abuse, the caller’s name WILL be kept confidential. That’s true even if the caller is a member of the same family as the abuser.
More than 88,000 calls this year resulted in further investigation regarding abuse or neglect. But state officials believe, with your help, they can do better.
