Cases of child abuse and neglect are on the rise, partly because of improved reporting and investigation procedures, says a new study.

"The Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect" was released Tuesday by Carolyn Bennett, minister of state for public health.

The report suggests the incidence of reported child abuse and neglect in 2003 shot up by 125 per cent, compared to figures recorded in 1998, when abuse was last measured.

"At all levels there's been an incredible growth, increase, in the number of children being reported, recognized, investigated, and substantiated by the child welfare system," said the report's author Nico Trocme on Tuesday.

The dramatic increase in cases may be due in part to more cases being substantiated, rather than just being reported as suspected. This shift could be due to better assessment tools.

"We feel that even though these are alarming in terms of an increase," Bennett told CTV News. "I think the researchers believe it's an epidemic of reporting, and that's a good thing,"

More siblings are being identified as victims. The average number of investigated children per family increased from 1.41 to 1.66.

As well, researchers are more likely to consider emotional abuse, such as insulting or belittling a child, as a form of maltreatment.

There was a 276 per cent increase in such cases, the study noted.

The minister responsible for daycare, Ken Dryden, says most parents don't recognize themselves as verbal abusers. He says the way parents speak to their children has a dramatic impact on a child's self esteem and success in life.

"What is it like to hear the words you're dumb, you're stupid? That comes to be their understanding of themselves," Dryden told reporters.

A jump was also noted in the rate of exposure to domestic violence, which increased 259 per cent since 1998.

Child welfare workers in every province except Quebec reported 103,297 cases of abuse and neglect in 2003, according to the study.

That is an incident rate of 21.71 cases of substantiated maltreatment per 1,000 children. In 1998, there were 9.64 cases of substantiated maltreatment per 1,000 children.

First Nations Children are over represented in the study. "We need to do everything we can to help in those families with parenting skills, with community support," said Bennett.

There are five categories of maltreatment listed in the report:

• Physical abuse -- Shaking, pushing, hitting with hand
• Sexual abuse -- Penetration to sexual exploitation
• Neglect -- Failure to supervise child or abandonment
• Emotional maltreatment -- Verbal abuse to emotional neglect
• Exposure to domestic violence -- Witness to violence between caregivers

In 2003, over one third of all substantiated cases involved neglect (34 per cent). Exposure to domestic violence was the second most frequently substantiated category of maltreatment at 28 per cent, followed closely by physical abuse at 24 per cent.

Emotional maltreatment was noted in 14 per cent of substantiated cases, while sexual abuse represented three per cent of all proven cases.