Child Abuse Prevention - What YOU can do to Help!

Greetings and welcome to our first blog post! We felt April 1st was the best time to embark on our new social media outreach as April is Child Abuse Prevention month. Here at the Center for Children and Families, we’ve made it our mission to improve the lives of children through partnerships with families and communities because every boy and girl deserves to grow up safe, nurtured and loved.


First, let’s hear some facts. The ugly truth is, before today is over, 3 CHILDREN WILL DIE from being abused in the United States. At least one of them will be a baby - less than a year old. The other two probably haven't yet celebrated their 5th birthdays. More than 510 other children will be physically abused today and another 270 will be sexually abused. In total, over 2,700 children will be abused today.


Tomorrow - the horror starts all over again.


Child abuse is an epidemic. And one of the most tragic aspects of abuse is, children who experience physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and neglect are more likely to suffer from anxiety and mood disorders, behavioral health problems, and to repeat patterns of abuse and neglect when they become parents, thus perpetuating the cycle of violence. 


A blue ribbon is the international symbol for Child Abuse Prevention. The color blue was chosen to represent the bruised and battered bodies of the thousands of children that are abused every day. It serves as a constant reminder that all of us have a responsibility to help keep children safe. 


This April, it is important to remember while springtime and sunshine are going on outdoors, there may be a child you know experiencing abuse indoors. 


So what can YOU do to help? 


Here are 7 things anyone can do to help prevent child abuse:

1. Provide financial support to agencies working to protect and heal children.

You can help support agencies like the Center for Children and Families. Your gift to our organization helps support our many programs, such as our Trauma Focused Services which helps heal children who have been victims of abuse, or our Parents Assistance program where we counsel parents who are at risk or recovering from their own abusive past in effort to stop the cycle of violence.  

To donate to CCFI online, click here.

2. Join a CCFI Committee and volunteer.

Volunteer committees advocate on behalf of children, raise much needed funds, monitor the fiscal responsibility of the agency, plan events and activities and lend their skills and talents to direct the course of the agency. Many other volunteer opportunities exist as well. To learn more about CCFI committees and volunteer opportunities, contact the CCFI Resource Department.  

3. Advocate on behalf of abused children.

Abused children have no one to speak for them. You can do that. Advocate with your government officials to provide sufficient funding to keep programs operating that help keep children safe. Make sure you -- and your officials -- know about the child welfare organizations working in your community to help keep children safe.

4. Know the signs and symptoms of abuse.

With so many children suffering from abuse and neglect - you may very likely know a child who is being abused. Know the signs and symptoms. If you suspect a child needs help, he or she probably does. Calling to file a report doesn't mean the child is automatically and immediately removed from the home. It does mean that someone knowledgeable will investigate and evaluate the situation. The family may need help. Your call can help them get it. Your call may save the life of a child! 

Click here for more information about abuse.

5. Help a family.

Do you know a family in your community where Mom and/or Dad are under a great deal of stress, seem to be very short on patience, perhaps drinking a little too much and just seem to be on the edge all the time - yelling at the children, threatening them, grabbing them or maybe even spanking or hitting them? Perhaps there is something you can do to help. Maybe it is a simple thing like offering to take the kids to the park or a movie so that Mom and Dad can get a short break. Sometimes just feeling like there is someone who cares can be enough to diffuse a potentially violent situation.

6. Help a child.

Do you know a child in your neighborhood who seems to be unsupervised or left alone to look after herself, often out later than appropriate or generally seeming neglected by her parents? Child neglect is a form of child abuse. She may need help. Make a report. It could save her life. Click here for reporting information.

7.  Help raise awareness!

Doing things like sharing this blog post with your friends and family, talking to groups you belong to in your community, becoming our friend on Facebook or following us on Twitter and reposting our messages, and creating a blue ribbon tree at your home are all ways to help get the word out about child abuse prevention in your community.

CCFI offers a variety of services and programs to help heal abuse and neglect, support and educate parents, and cultivate neighborhood connections. To learn more about our organization visit our website at www.ccfinorman.org. And visit our blog often for more information on child abuse prevention throughout April!