04/09/2026
Child abuse ‘on the rise’ in Wichita, pediatric surgeon warns
by: Mike Mahoney
Apr 9, 2026
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A Wichita doctor is sounding the alarm about a trend she’s seeing.
“Child abuse is on the rise in our community,” said Dr. Kim Molik, the pediatric trauma medical director at Wesley Children’s Hospital. “It is now the No. 2 cause for admission for the trauma service in children under age 4.”
Advocates said there are things the community can do to protect children, and it starts with identifying signs of child abuse.
“Any baby that cannot get around shouldn’t be having significant injuries, shouldn’t really have any bruising at all,” said Kerri Weeks, director of the Division of Child Abuse and Neglect at Wesley Children’s Hospital. “Not every infant with an injury is abused, but those are certainly things that we want to evaluate.”
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Weeks and Molik said bruising of the ears; neck; and the soft, central parts of a child’s body are red flags to look out for, but they also stressed that child abuse can be more than just physical.
“Child abuse can encompass physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and simple neglect as well,” Molik said.
She said identifying abuse as early as possible is key to protecting lives. If a minor injury caused by abuse is not identified as such, “there is a very high likelihood that the child may die in that first year,” Molik said.
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But it’s also important to prevent child abuse because of its long-term effects.
“We see higher rates of things like substance use and mental health disorders in kids that grow up to be adults who have experienced these traumas,” Weeks said.
She said it’s important to believe kids who reach out for help and then contact authorities, including the Kansas Reporting Center.
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But Weeks said you can also help prevent violence by relieving stress on families and decreasing the chance of an adult focusing their anger on a child.
“Volunteering your time, being engaged in your faith community, dropping off food at a food bank, anything that really provides the supports for the families that have higher stress and low social support,” Weeks said.
To learn more, you can visit the Child Safety Fair on Saturday at the Sedgwick County Extension Office.
