The Children’s Advocacy Center in Lubbock is running out of stuffed animals and blankets because kids keep coming through its doors to report abuse. Last year, they conducted more than 1,000 forensic interviews. Why? Because Lubbock has the second-highest child abuse rate in Texas — only Abilene managed to outdo us.
Experts say the problem isn’t just “bad parents” — it’s tied up with poverty, substance abuse, and the unique Lubbock combo of too many stressed-out families and not enough resources. COVID even masked the numbers for a bit since teachers weren’t around to spot signs, but once kids were back in classrooms, the floodgates reopened.
Meanwhile, foster care in the region is also drowning. Nearly 300 kids entered foster care this year in Lubbock-Amarillo alone, and officials admit that’s just the end of a much bigger problem. More than 10,000 alleged cases of abuse or neglect were reported locally last year, which is about 10,000 too many.
Second place in Texas child abuse. Is this really the kind of “competition” West Texas was hoping to win silver in?
