By Emmanuel T. Erediano
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
THE Division of Youth Services reported Saturday that child abuse and neglect cases in the CNMI totaled 2,114 in 2025.
During the 2026 Parent Leadership Summit at Aqua Resort Club, DYS Administrator Vivian Sablan told parents that outreach efforts must extend beyond schools to raise awareness in the wider community.
“Parents need to know that in 2023, cases of child abuse and neglect reached 1,000. By 2025, that number had doubled to 2,000,” Sablan said. “In just two years, the number of cases in the CNMI doubled.”
Before distributing awards to parents who took meaningful leadership roles in addressing issues affecting children, Sablan highlighted the alarming data.
The DYS records show a steady rise in abuse cases over the past five years: 863 in 2021, 956 in 2022, 1,152 in 2023, 1,429 in 2024, and 2,114 in 2025. Cases included physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect.
“But we can also look at this positively,” she said. “The increase reflects that our community is now reporting cases that may have gone unreported in previous years. Even working with just the reported cases represents a significant effort.”
Sablan expressed gratitude to community members, including youth, who have stepped forward to ensure that abuse cases are reported so appropriate action can be taken.
She emphasized the need to prioritize child safety and noted that contributing factors such as alcohol and drug use, discussed by resource speakers at the summit, are all interconnected.
Emmanuel “Arnold” Erediano has a bachelor of science degree in Journalism. He started his career as police beat reporter. Loves to cook. Eats death threats for breakfast.
