Pocatello and Chubbuck communities promote child abuse awareness

Child abuse is an issue that can affect everyone and every community in some way.

According to the most recent data available from the Child Welfare League of America, five children died in 2013 as a result of child abuse.

That same data reports that approximately 1,700 children were victims of abuse or neglect in 2013. Of those cases, 74 percent were neglect, 21 percent were physical abuse and just under six percent were sexual abuse. It shows that in a four-year span, from 2009 to 2013, the number of child abuse cases rose 6.6 percent.

According to the Department of Health and Welfare, it had almost 9,000 calls related to child protection issues in 2015. It also had more than 2,000 kids placed into foster care.

In an effort to help raise awareness and prevention of abuse, April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. On Saturday, the Pocatello/Chubbuck communities decided to take action to help further awareness locally.

Community members participated in a march from ISU’s campus to Pocatello City Hall. At city hall, Pocatello mayor Brian Blad and Chubbuck mayor Kevin England read a dual proclamation.

That proclamation made it official that both cities would recognize the month of April as Child Abuse Prevention Month.

“We need to be active in our community and show our children that we are there for them,” said Shannon Gray, program manager for Stewards of Children Initiative. “We are going to take the steps that are necessary to protect them because they are our most vital resource and we want to show them that they matter and we care.”

“I work with kids that are in foster care at the moment and seeing what they’ve gone through and the abuse that they’ve been a part of, just makes me want to try and help prevent that in the future so that other kids don’t have to go through those things,” said Lacey Ackerman, a volunteer who helped organize the march.

Along with the proclamation and march, pinwheels were placed inside and out of city hall. Many other businesses in the community will also have pinwheel gardens through April to promote awareness for child abuse.

Other activities to help raise awareness will be happening throughout the month. More information can be found on the Stewards of Children Initiative’s Facebook page.