Flag Raising events for Child Abuse Prevention Month
April was first declared “Child Abuse Prevention Month” by presidential proclamation in 1985. Since then, organizations who are dedicated to protecting children have used this time of year to acknowledge the importance of families and communities working together to prevent child abuse in all its forms. The month of April is devoted to celebrating everything we can do to transform our community into a place that cares about and actively supports families and children. By ensuring that all parents in our communities have access to quality childcare, affordable health services, parenting education resources, and substance abuse and mental health programs, we make progress toward eradicating mistreatment of our children.
See the pamphlet from the 2012 Flag Raising here. . .
In addition to CHD, past events have seen participation from agencies such as the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, HCS Head Start, Dunbar Community Center, Square One, Early Childhood Center, Gandara Center, New North Citizens Council, Children’s Study Home, state Department of Children and Families, Mass. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and the state Department of Youth Services.
The centerpiece of each ceremony is a red flag depicting blue, paper-doll-like figures of children holding hands. In the center, the white chalk outline of a missing child symbolizes the thousands of children lost to violence, neglect and abuse. The flag-raising events organized by CHD every year join nearly 300 flag-raising events that take place more than 100 cities over all 50 states. The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) urges anyone who can to fly the flag all month long in support of efforts to protect children from harm. Nearly 3 million children are reported abused and neglected each year in the United States, according to CWLA.
To donate to the cause or participate in next year’s events, please contact John Roberson, vice president of CHD’s Children and Families division at (413) 439-2243, or by e-mail at jroberson@chd.org