TORONTO - The Children's Aid Societies says more than 29,000 children in Ontario were abused or neglected last year, an increase of 24 per cent since 2000-2001.
The child and family welfare agency also says it received more than 160,000 calls about child protection concerns last year, an increase of 25 per cent.
The Children's Aid Societies released the figures today to mark the start of Child Abuse Prevention Month in Ontario.
It says the number of children and families receiving its services keeps rising and more must be done to protect them.
Children's Aid also says almost 44,000 families received child welfare services and parenting supports last year to cope with stress, poverty, addiction and mental health problems, a 33 per cent rise over 2000-2001.
Nearly a third of all child-related investigations of abuse involved exposure to domestic violence or neglect. Another 15 per cent involved emotional abuse, 10 per cent were physical abuse cases and three per cent involved sexual abuse.
