The number of abused children in the Czech Republic skyrockets.

New statistics from the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs indicate that the number of abused children in the Czech Republic has grown by 16 percent. Last year, according to official figures, 588 children were reported physically abused, while 617 suffered mental abuse and 679 were abused sexually. It remains unclear whether this represents a trend of increased abuse or increased reporting of abuse to the authorities. The figures come in the wake of a new story of child abuse in the town of Beroun, where a family reportedly kept their pre-school children on a leash, while filming the horrific abuse.