As the COVID-19 virus has killed thousands across Wisconsin, the pandemic has also had a detrimental effect on crimes against children — potentially causing some to go unnoticed and others to increase.
In some Wisconsin municipalities, including Madison, reports of child abuse have gone down, but detectives say it’s likely not because there’s less crime but because some cases are not being reported. Meanwhile, internet crimes against children, such as child pornography and child exploitation, have increased in some areas as more children spend more time online during the pandemic.https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime-and-courts/unnoticed-and-unreported-child-abuse-reporting-down-during-pandemic-while-internet-crimes-increase/article_cb150e15-fbc8-51f7-94e8-b0c20453e2f5.html