On average, 26 babies have been abused to the point of death or serious injury every year since 2020, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday.
People in Taiwan have killed or irreversibly injured 134 infants through domestic abuse in the past five years, Department of Protective Services Director-General Chang Hsiu-yuan (張秀鴛) said.
More than 25 percent of the babies died, while more than half of those who survived had irreversible brain injuries, Chang said.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
More than 90 percent of those with brain injuries were under two years old, she said.
Children who purportedly sustained brain injuries from falls often turned out to be victims of abuse, she added.
Parents in distress from dealing with infants should turn to the nearest social service, family education or parent-child center for help, Chang said.
The government can support hard-pressed families with money, baby care resources, and stop-gap baby care or other community-based solutions, she said.
Shaken baby syndrome is among the most prevalent and dangerous forms of infant abuse, said Lee En-pei (李恩沛), a critical child care specialist at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Changhua County.
The diagnostic indicators for maliciously inflicted injuries include black eyes, bruises behind the ears, cerebrospinal fluid leak via the nostrils, facial or cranial floor fractures, diffuse brain lesions, cognitive decline and spinal injuries, Lee said.
The mortality rate for infants with such injuries is 25 percent, she said, adding that there are additional risks of delayed palsy and retinal bleeding.
More than 70 percent of the children who survive would develop epilepsy, palsy or cognitive disabilities, more than 50 percent would lose some or all of their sight and 20 percent would not be able to eat on their own, she said.
People planning to become parents should prepare themselves by setting resources aside for child rearing and making coparenting arrangements, said Tsai Ming-chuan (蔡明娟), a clinical psychologist at the New Taipei City-based OK Mood Clinic.
Parents at a loss with a crying infant should stop, take a walk, breath deep, exercise and think about something else to keep calm, she said.
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