In Dent County alone, during 2012, four children were physically abused, six were neglected, one was emotionally abused and eleven other children were victims of sexual abuse. according to records maintained by the Missouri Department of Human Services (“Children’s Division” 38). That same year, 92,593 children were reported as having been abused statewide in Missouri (“Child's Division” 1). Fortunately, of all the children reported, only 6,322 children were abused. However, another 7,092 were classified as “unfounded indicated preventive services.” This means that there was not enough evidence to pursue prosecution, but enough evidence to indicate that abuse was imminent. Another 44,070 reports warranted an assessment of the child's family to ensure the child's safety (“Child Division” 5). These figures demand public attention. The pain of one child should be more than enough to make one person stand up and help, much less the pain of over six thousand children. The U.S. Department of Justice considers children “perfect victims” for six main reasons. First, because children are generally 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 attacks him because, very often, the aggressor is someone close or even related to him. Third, police often do not have enough medical evidence or reliable eyewitness testimony to persecute a sexual predator. Unfortunately, the child's testimony is easy for most defense attorneys to invalidate. Two other reasons...... middle of paper ...... 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, and Web. November 13, 2013. .6. “National Child Abuse Statistics.” National Children's Alliance. NCA, and Web. November 15. 2013. .