NORRISTOWN – People who champion for children who suffer from abuse stood outside the Montgomery County Courthouse wearing blue coats, shirts, and sweaters to acknowledge April as Child Abuse Prevention Month, despite the cold wind.
The event for Child Abuse Prevention Month named “Wear Blue on the Steps” was organized by the Montgomery Child Advocacy Project (MCAP) on Friday.
“In April, it's an important time for supporters and communities to reflect on the work needed to prevent child abuse,” stated Mary C. Pugh, executive director of MCAP, to over two dozen attendees. “Child abuse impacts children from all backgrounds, including different socio-economic statuses, religions, neighborhoods, and families.”
Officials elected by the public, such as state representatives and county row officers, joined members of the county judiciary and child advocates at the event.
“Together, we are making a difference in helping all children live safe, healthy, happy lives filled with hopes, dreams and love,” Pugh said. “In Montgomery County, we stand united against child abuse.”
Established in the late 1990s and formally becoming a nonprofit organization in 2005, the child advocacy project aims to offer free legal representation and social services to children who are victims of mistreatment and neglect.
Volunteer lawyers aid and safeguard frightened, overwhelmed children as they navigate the court system. The child advocates address the needs of children who are victims or witnesses in cases of family violence when the interests of the child clash with those of the family.
County President Judge Carolyn Tornetta Carluccio mentioned that children should never be endangered, yet there are over 3.6 million cases of child abuse reported annually nationwide. For every reported incident of child abuse, it is estimated that two incidents go unreported, Carluccio pointed out.
“These numbers are truly alarming. It occurs throughout our society, irrespective of ethnicity, culture, economic status, or education. Child abuse is a terrible experience with long-lasting implications,” Carluccio remarked. “However, child abuse is preventable. As a community, prevention is within our control.”
Carluccio, quoting well-known TV personality Mr. Rogers, said, “the foundation of a child’s ability to cope and thrive lies in the child having a small, safe place where, with the help of a loving person, that child can discover he or she is lovable and capable of loving in return. If a child finds this safe space, he or she can grow up to be a competent, healthy person.”
For the past 20 years, Carluccio said, members of MCAP have supported and offered a secure space for over 9,000 children in the county, who are often too young to understand the abuse against them.
“Today, we stand with MCAP, in our blue, to fully embrace the challenge to educate our community, strengthen our families, love and protect our children and provide them a safe space,” Carluccio said.
Pugh said MCAP has dealt with over 7,000 cases, representing more than 10,000 abused, neglected or trafficked children, since 2004.
“Here in Montgomery County, we excel. We are the beacon and we are the model that other counties aspire to. We collaborate with law enforcement, social service agencies, we appear before every single judge on our bench and speak for those unique voices,” Pugh said. “We get to be part of miracles every day.”
