01 Apr Lafourche DA’s Office to Participate in National Child Abuse Prevention Month
Lafourche Parish District Attorney Kristine Russell announced that her office, in partnership with the Children’s Advocacy Center of Lafourche (CAC), will be participating in National Child Abuse Prevention throughout the month of April.
Members from the District Attorney’s Office and the Children’s Advocacy Center of Lafourche gathered early Thursday morning at the new CAC facility and placed blue pinwheels in the grass.
Blue pinwheels have been used as a symbol for Child Abuse Awareness Month since 2008 when Prevent Child Abuse America used them as part of their awareness campaign after research found that people associate pinwheels with childlike whimsy and lightheartedness. They also serve as a symbol of the hope that all children grow up happy, healthy and prepared to succeed.
“Every child deserves to grow up in a healthy, stable and supportive environment,” said District Attorney Kristine Russell. “It doesn’t just take a village to raise a child, it takes a community to protect one as well.”
Since its inception in 2005, the Children’s Advocacy Center of Lafourche (CAC) has interviewed 2,628 children. In August of 2020, the CAC opened its new facility at the new location on Plantation Road. 165 interviews have since been conducted on site with 69 of those interviews taking place in the first quarter of 2021.
“We are seeing more children, family members and community members coming forward to report abuse of children,” said CAC Forensic Interviewer Shannan Gros. “This can partly be attributed to awareness campaigns like this one because these campaigns remind children that others are listening and remind adults to be more cognizant of the signs of potential abuse.”
According to the National Children’s Alliance, nearly 700,000 children are abused in the United States each year. A number we hope to help eradicate through tough enforcement, prosecution and awareness.
If you would like to get involved and help raise awareness for Child Abuse Prevention Month, you can follow the Lafourche Parish District Attorney’s Office and the Children’s Advocacy Center of Lafourche’s Facebook pages for upcoming initiatives in April.