UNDATED (WTAQ) – Wisconsinites are encouraged to “wear blue” Thursday as part of April’s Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month.
Throughout the month of April, Wisconsin’s child protective community will be helping to bring attention to the month with a series of events.
“It’s the time of year where we really focus on making sure that there’s public awareness about the issues facing families in Wisconsin and how we can strengthen and support families,” says Michelle Jensen, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board.
Thursday’s “Wear Blue Day” aims to have people wear a blue ribbon or the color blue, which is the color of prevention, in order to spark a conversation about child abuse and neglect. Staff at the Department of Children and Families (DCF) Division of Milwaukee Child Protective Services will up the ante by posting photos of people wearing blue for kids on social media using the hashtag “SaySomethingDoSomething”.
“We’re all coming together and trying to encourage everyone around the state to wear blue and explain why you’re wearing blue and make that connection to prevention month,” explains Jensen.
Other events include a pinwheel garden being planted in Milwaukee at the Milwaukee Child Protective Services building, 635 N. 26th Street, at 10 a.m. on April 11. Another pinwheel garden will be on display on the grounds of the State Capitol in Madison starting April 14 and running through the end of the month.
During April, officials are hoping to educate the public about how to recognize warning signs of abuse and neglect, and how to take action by reporting suspected abuse or neglect to a child welfare agency or local law enforcement.
About 5 children each day die in the U.S. because of child abuse, and about 70 percent of abused children suffer from neglect. Research, cited by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, has found that the impact on a child who suffers from the trauma of abuse or neglect is not only felt when it occurs, but affects their brain later throughout their life. It can permanently affect them psychologically as well as physically.
“It naturally makes sense that children raised in loving and supportive homes do better,” DCF Secretary Eloise Anderson said in a statement. “It’s important that we all do our part to make sure that children have a healthy, safe home in which they can learn, grow and thrive.”
You can learn more about child and family safety here.
