As the 2016 Kentucky General Assembly is in session, Face It® Partners are working on more public education and policies to prevent and end child abuse in this community. Today, Face It releases a new infographic with relevant information on the status of child abuse in Jefferson County and tips and tools for parents, community members, and professionals who work with children to help end this sad epidemic in our community.
The new infographic reveals that nearly 3,000 children were abused or neglected in a given year in Jefferson County. Several warning signs of physical abuse exist that community members can look for such as:
- Bruising on babies who are not yet mobile,
- Bruising to the ears, neck, torso, or private parts of children under four yeas of age, and
- Unexplained injuries on children of any age.
Other signs of abuse, including signs of sexual abuse are on the infographic as well.
“Child abuse and neglect are not problems anyone likes to discuss,” said Randy Coe, President of Kosair Charities, which founded the Face It Movement with Kentucky Youth Advocates. “However, we know there are several important things community members can do to help end child abuse and neglect. Everyone should learn the signs and how to report abuse and neglect. We want everyone to be the face that ends child abuse and neglect.”
In addition to the newly released infographic, Face It partners are working hard on several policies that will help protect children through the 2016 General Assembly. Priorities include items such as requiring schools to check the child abuse and neglect registry for school
personnel, support for services that strengthen parenting skills, policies that support kinship families, and several others.
“While we know community awareness and best practices will help move the needle in the right direction, we also know policy matters. We look forward to working with our legislators in 2016 to create policies that will prevent and end child abuse,” said Dr. Melissa Currie, Chair of the Face It Policy Team and the Chief at the Kosair Charities Division of Pediatric Forensic Medicine at the University of Louisville.
The new infographic can be found here: http://faceitabuse.org/infographic.
You can also find the 2016 Face It policy agenda can be found at faceitabuse.org. If you are interested in ordering copies of the infographic to place in your office or community building, please email: info@faceitabuse.org.
SAVE THE DATE: On March 30 join Family & Children’s Place, Kosair Charities, the Face It® Movement and 18 child-serving partners in a community-wide rally to promote child abuse prevention. The rally begins Wednesday, March 30th at 11 a.m. at the Big Four Bridge.
