Justice was served Wednesday when former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison after assaulting more than 150 women and girls within the last two decades. Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, who presided over the case, described Nassar as a "monster" who "[does] not deserve to walk outside of a prison ever again."

She's absolutely right. But sadly, there are still thousands more children suffering at the hands of monsters like Larry Nassar. Roughly 1 in 4 children will experience some form of abuse during their lifetimes. The best way to honor child abuse survivors is to strengthen protections for children – especially the cases that don't make headlines.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines child maltreatment as "all types of abuse and neglect of a child under the age of 18 by a parent, caregiver, or another person in a custodial role." The most common types of child maltreatment are physical, sexual, and emotional abuse or neglect.

There were at least 683,000 reported victims of child abuse in 2015, which is the latest year for which the CDC collected data. That same year, an estimated 1,670 children lost their lives as a result of their abuse. That equates to some five children dying per day.

Infants are the most susceptible to abuse. According to Child Protective Services, nearly one-quarter of all child abuse victims are under the age of one.

Many of these cases involve Shaken Baby Syndrome, during which an infant experiences a serious brain injury as a result of being forcefully shaken. The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome reports at least 1,300 cases of Shaken Baby Syndrome in the United States each year. Roughly 80 percent of these victims will experience some type of lifelong disability. Nearly 25 percent of victims will die, which makes Shaken Baby Syndrome the leading cause of physical child abuse deaths in the United States.

Child sexual abuse is also prevalent. According to the Department of Justice, nearly seven in 10 cases of all reported sexual assault crimes are committed against children under the age of 18. There are an estimated 58,000 child sexual abuse cases reported each year, based on Department of Health and Human Services data.

These numbers are already disturbing – but experts predict instances of sexual abuse are far higher than their statistics can confirm. That's because sexual assaults are greatly underreported. According to a study conducted by the National Research Council, some 80 percent of all sexual assaults in the United States are not reported to law enforcement.

The number of reported cases of child sex abuse each year are already disturbing – but experts predict instances of sexual abuse are far higher than their statistics can confirm. That's because sexual assaults are greatly underreported. According to a study conducted by the National Research Council, some 80 percent of all sexual assaults in the United States are not reported to law enforcement.

Some lawmakers are doing their part. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, for example, introduced legislation to protect children from being sold into sex trafficking online. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., recently signed into law a bill to have the New York State Commission study child abuse, and implement preventative programs to mitigate cases of abuse. And Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., has been consistently fighting to end modern slavery and human trafficking worldwide with a bipartisan bill he introduced back in 2015.

Even so, there's far more work to be done. And if highly publicized cases involving more than 150 victims – including Olympic medalists – doesn't spark action, what will?

It took a great deal of courage for Nassar's victims to come forward. Let's not let these brave women down by ignoring their plights.

Jacy Gomez (@JacyGomez) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner's Beltway Confidential blog. She is a former congressional staffer for Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and currently a communications specialist based in Washington, D.C.

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