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April Is Child Abuse Awareness Month

April is Child Abuse Awareness /Prevention month

  • Approximately 546,159 children were confirmed victims of abuse or neglect—a slight decrease from 558,899 in 2022. Child Welfare League of America 
  • An estimated 2,000 children died due to abuse or neglect in 2023. Administration for Children and Families 
  • Child Protective Services (CPS) received about 4.4 million referrals, involving approximately 7.78 million children. Child Welfare League of America
  • Approximately 23.8% of child victims had a caregiver with a drug abuse risk factor, and 15.2% had a caregiver with an alcohol abuse risk factor. American SPCC
  • 26.5% of child victims had a caregiver with a domestic violence risk factor. American SPCC 
  • In 2023, reports of online child sexual exploitation surged by over 12%, totaling 36.2 million. The Guardian
  • The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children documented 4,700 reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse material, highlighting a concerning trend facilitated by artificial intelligence. The Guardian
  • 11,191 children were confirmed victims of abuse or neglect in Oregon in 2023. MountainStar Family Relief Nursery

According to the Child Welfare Data Book:

  • 11,191 children were confirmed victims of abuse or neglect in Oregon in 2023.
  • 36.5% of victims were 5 years old or younger.
  • 19 children died from abuse in Oregon in 2023.
  • 40.7% involved parent/caregiver substance use as stress factor.
  • 31.3% involved domestic violence as a stress factor.
  • 14.1% involved parent/caregiver involvement with law enforcement as a stress factor.

For a mere 30 days out of 365, we outwardly have conversations about child abuse—how to identify and respond to it, how to prevent it and just about children who deserve more safety in their life. If you do the math it’s about 8% of the year spent thinking about and bringing awareness to one of our greatest public health issue—and that is if you spend a full 24 hours focused on child abuse. Realistically it is likely more like 2% of our year is spent on thinking about providing safety to children unless of course you are a professional whose job and focus is to keep kids safe, bring children who are abused justice or provide healing services to a child who has experienced the trauma of abuse.

All that “social worker” math has made it clear we need to do more…. What is that more? I am glad you asked here is a list of 20 everyday things you can do to help prevent child abuse in our community—not in any particular order—-

  1. Call the Children’s Advocacy Center of Jackson County or jump on our website and register to take a Protect Our Children class. They are free and only cost you and investment of two hours of your time.

  2. Donate to the Children’s Advocacy Center of Jackson County (or your favorite organization that provides services to children who experience abuse). The monthly or one time donations in any amount help to sustain the delivery of forensic interviews, advocacy, medical and therapy services to the youth referred to our organization as a result of a report child abuse.

  3. Volunteer your time and talent at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Jackson County. We need volunteers to work on and at our events, to help with administrative tasks, to facilitate our prevention trainings, to manage our waiting areas, and with specialized training and commitment to assist in our service delivery areas or serve on a committee.

  4. When you observe something in a child’s behavior or a parent’ behavior that is concerning for abuse, be brave and make the report.

  5. When a child discloses abuse to you be a support for that child. A support is merely passing the information to the appropriate authorities and not disparaging them or calling them a liar.

  6. Call your representatives and advocate for the Children’s Advocacy Center in your community or fall all of them across the state of Oregon or all of them across the country. The services provided by Children’s Advocacy Centers across the country are lifesaving. They are expensive. They are evidence based and trauma informed. We do not charge a child’s family for these services. We do however always seem to be needing to make a case for continued funding. If you believe in what we do, help us educate those who make decisions on how important these services are in mitigating the impact of child abuse over the span of the lifetime.

  7. Donate your services to a Children’s Advocacy Center. We generally have buildings that need to be cleaned. Landscaping that needs to be maintained. Repair and maintenance work that needs to be done. Materials that need to be printed. Provide a service to staff/Multidisciplinary
    team members in appreciation of their dedication to the children in our community—lunch, a yoga class, a day at the gym, a box of donuts, — anything to recognize what they do every day.

  8. Offer support to overwhelmed parents instead of judgement. Kindness can help to de-escalate a stressful situation that can end with a child being hurt either physically or emotionally.

  9. Be the trusted adult. Let the youth know in your life that they can talk to you about anything and you will help them figure out what to do next. AND then really be there for them to talk to you about anything without judgement.

  10. Challenge the social norms. Speak out against jokes, media, or behaviors that normalize or minimize abuse or sexualize children.

  11. Break the silence – Abuse thrives in silence. By talking about it openly and respectfully, we reduce stigma and create an opportunity for prevention of abuse.

  12. Be trauma informed. Understand that children’s behavior is often shaped by trauma. Respond with compassion, not judgement.

  13. Educate yourself on the indicators of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, as well as neglect. Knowledge is power when it comes to protecting children.

  14. Learn how to be safe online and in social media platforms and then help educate children and parents about online safety and how to recognize grooming or inappropriate behavior.

  15. Raise awareness by sharing resources, statistics, and stories (when appropriate) on social media to keep the conversation going.

  16. Use your influence. Do you work for a youth serving organization? Check out your safety policies. If they do not promote and prioritize the safety of all the youth served in your programs speak out and help put policies in place that prevent opportunities for children to be hurt.

  17. Call and set up a tour at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Jackson County to learn more about what we do, how we do it, and how you can help.

  18. Model Healthy Relationships. Children learn by example. Demonstrate respect, empathy, and healthy boundaries in your relationships so the young people around you know what safety and kindness look like.

  19. Foster Community Connection. Isolation increases risk. Get to know your neighbors, check in on families, and help build a supportive, connected community where children are seen and valued.

  20. Celebrate and build resilience. Share and uplift stories of healing and hope. Highlighting the strength of survivors and the impact of support can inspire others to take action and remind children that healing is possible.

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