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Lower Shore Tops Maryland's Child Abuse Figures

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The three Lower Shore Counties in Maryland have the highest rates of child abuse in the state.

The Salisbury Daily Times reports that the state Department of Health found that in 2014 ranked highest with 30.5 out of a thousand children suffered some abuse.

In Worcester County the figure was 29 out of a thousand while in Wicomico County it was 13.4 out of a thousand.

The national average is 8.5

Michele Hughes, executive director of the Life Crisis Center, told the Daily Times that she never sees fewer than 100 children who have suffered from abuse.

She added that number is usually closer to 125.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.