In Dent County alone, during the year 2012, four children suffered physical abuse, six were subjected to abandonment, one suffered emotional abuse and eleven other children were victims of sexual abuse according to records maintained by the Missouri Department of Social Services (“Children’s Division” 38). That same year, in the entire state of Missouri, 92,593 children were reported to have been abused (“Child's Division” 1). Fortunately, of all those reported, only 6,322 children suffered abuse. However, another 7,092 were classified as “Preventive Services Indicated Unsubstantiated.” This means that there was not enough evidence to proceed further with the charge, but it was still sufficient to indicate that abuse was imminent. Another 44,070 reports warranted an assessment of the child's family to ensure the child's safety (“Children's Division” 5). These numbers demand public attention. The pain of just one child should be more than enough to make a person jump up and help, much less the pain of more than six thousand children. The US Department of Justice calls children the “perfect victim” for six main reasons. First, because children are typically not emotionally or physically mature, they will try to avoid talking about the abuse. The second reason they give is that often the child does not want to betray the person who abuses him because, many times, the abuser is someone close to him or even related to him. Third, many times there is not enough medical evidence or reliable eyewitness testimony to allow police to prosecute a sexual predator. Unfortunately, the child's testimony is easy for most defense attorneys to dismiss. Two more reasons...... middle of sheet ...... and Families, Children's Bureau, 2009. Print.3. Hammond, Carl, Wayne Promisel, Jack Shepherd and Bill Walsh. Law enforcement response to child abuse. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 1997. Print.4. Long-term consequences of child abuse and neglect. Washington, DC: Child Welfare Information Gateway, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration for Children, Youth and Families, Children's Bureau, 2008. Print.5. “National Child Abuse Statistics.” Prevention and treatment of child abuse. Np, nd Web. November 13, 2013. .6. “National Child Abuse Statistics.” National Children's Alliance. NCA and Web. 15 November. 2013. .