To help provide greater awareness of child abuse and the importance of working together for its prevention, Atlantic County will commemorate April as Child Abuse Prevention Month.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, at least one in seven children in the U.S. has experienced child abuse or neglect. Rates of child abuse and neglect are five times higher for children in families with low socioeconomic status.
“We must work together as a community to promote the physical and emotional well-being of our children and families in a safe, stable and nurturing environment,” County Executive Dennis Levinson said in a news release.
The Atlantic County Youth Services Commission will host an event with its co-sponsors, Atlantic Cape Family Support Organization and Prevent Child Abuse New Jersey, on April 26 in the outdoor courtyard of the Atlantic County Office Building, 1333 Atlantic Ave., Atlantic City, from 12 noon to 2 p.m.
Representatives of the sponsoring agencies will distribute blue and silver pinwheels to attendees. The pinwheel was chosen as a national symbol of prevention because it is whimsical and evokes childlike notions, exemplifying the happy, healthy and safe childhoods all children deserve.
Keynote speaker Dr. Veronica Ford, vice president of Prevent Child Abuse New Jersey, will provide information about the Pinwheels for Prevention campaign and Child Abuse Prevention Month.
This year’s theme is “Building Together: Prevention in Partnerships,” to emphasize the role we all play in ensuring children have positive experiences and families have the resources they need.
For more information, contact Curtis Still at still_curtis@aclink.org or Robert Schober at rob@acfamsupport.org.
