Halt on evictions during pandemic likely resulted in fewer child abuse reports: U.S. study

From the Imprint– Temporary eviction bans during the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t just keep families in their homes. They may have kept children safer, too, according to a U.S. national study.

The study, published in May in the peer-reviewed journal Pediatrics, analyzed biweekly maltreatment child abuse and neglect reports in 318 counties across 16 states and Washington, D.C.

Counties in 10 states with an eviction moratorium in place between January 2019 and August 2022 were compared with those in seven states that never enacted protections.

The conclusion: Fewer cases of kids suffering abuse or neglect were reported in counties that had eviction bans. Physical abuse reports declined by 16% and neglect reports by 12%.

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