Child abuse rate among the highest in Cheboygan County

BY JENNIFER CHEN
Capital News Service
LANSING – More children are facing abuse and neglect in the state due to unemployment and reduced incomes, with the situation worst in Cheboygan County, according to a social welfare advocacy group. More than 32,000 children statewide were reported as abused or neglected in 2010 — a 34 percent increase from a decade ago. Cheboygan is among the top three leading counties with abuse reports, with almost five out of every 100 children confirmed abused in 2010, according to the Michigan League for Human Services. “Substance abuse and limited resources would be the main reasons for child abuse and neglect in Cheboygan,” said Debra Turnbull, the coordinator of Cheboygan County Child Advocacy Council. “Cheboygan is a small rural community with limited resources,” she said.