April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time to recognize the role each of us play in helping children to have happy and safe childhoods.
Last year an estimated 678,000 children were found to be victims of child abuse or neglect nationwide. Child abuse and neglect happens across every socioeconomic level. Child abuse can happen anywhere, to any child regardless of race, culture, or education level. The overall wellbeing of our community is contingent on everyone in our community doing well, but child abuse is happening in our community, to our children.
Child abuse isn’t an issue that a single person or even a single organization can fix. The prevention of child abuse and maltreatment is a problem that can only be solved by an entire community working together to educate themselves, their children, their friends and family, and even their neighborhoods.
Since opening our doors in 2002, the Children’s Advocacy Project has served approximately 4,284. We assisted these children in their journey from child victim to survivor, but even the Children’s Advocacy Project did not do this work alone. We work collaboratively with a multidisciplinary team to provide the services and resources needed to prevent and properly respond to child maltreatment. Everyone has a role to play in making Wyoming a better place for children and families.
The Children’s Advocacy Project, being one of few advocacy centers in Wyoming is here to share our resources, our knowledge, and our voice with you, so that we, as a community may better work together to prevent child abuse. By ensuring that parents have the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to care for their children, we can help prevent child abuse and neglect by creating strong and thriving children, youth, and families in our communities.