Take a Stand to Keep Kids Safe

For the first time ever, San Francisco’s City Hall will be lit up blue on Tuesday, April 5 in recognition of National Child Abuse Prevention Month. City Hall’s blue dome will serve as a symbol of our city coming together to shine a light on child abuse and remind us that everyone has a part in strengthening families and keeping kids safe.

April was first declared Child Abuse Prevention Month in 1983 by presidential proclamation. Child Abuse Prevention Month seeks to raise awareness about child abuse and empower the community to participate in preventing it. Families and communities must work together to keep families healthy and children safe.

Since 1989, a blue ribbon has stood as the symbol of child abuse prevention. It was started by one loving grandmother, Bonnie Finney, to memorialize the grandson she lost to abuse. Finney tied a blue ribbon to her car antennae and encouraged her friends to do the same.

There are almost three million case of child abuse reported every year in the United States, and there are more than 57,000 reports in Bay Area alone. While San Francisco continues to have one of the highest rates of child abuse in the Bay Area, the widening economic divide in the city puts more children at risk for abuse. Child abuse, nevertheless, crosses all zip codes, socioeconomic levels, ethnicities, and family structures. It is everywhere. Research shows that the impact of child abuse is devastating not just for the child and the family, but for the entire community. Abused children are more likely to have a harder time in school, more health issues, and behavioral challenges. These victims are more likely to be involved in criminal activity and risky behaviors as adults.

Child maltreatment isn’t somebody else’s problem. We all have responsibility for our city’s children, and each and every one of us has the power to protect kids in our community. If our community joins together, we can end child abuse in San Francisco, and we believe we can do it in 50 years.

Every small action that supports kids takes us closer to ensuring all kids in San Francisco are safe. During April, please join us by taking one or all of these five easy steps to help end child abuse:

Check out this webpage for more info + materials to download / share, here: http://sfcapc.org/april