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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – A group of Albemarle County officials and employees planted pinwheels to commemorate April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month on Wednesday.
“The pinwheel was selected to represent this month because of its recognition as a childhood toy, its association with simplicity, with whimsy, with imagination and simpler times of childhood, it is something that all children deserve,” said Albemarle County Department of Social Services Assistant Director Kurt Emmerling to the gathering at the 5th Street Albemarle County Office Building.
“But what some people miss is the pinwheel doesn’t move without effort,” Emmerling said. “It takes some energy to spin, or the wind or something like it to turn it, and that is extremely important because, not only does this represent childhood, it represents all of your efforts to prevent child abuse itself.
“You are literally the wind and the energy in the pinwheel that turns and represents that prevention of abuse,” Emmerling said.
The program was launched by Prevent Child Abuse America.
“Whether you are business or corporation enacting policies that impact the work-life balance of your employees or a neighbor who offers a respite from the demands of parenting, we all have an effect on the lives of children,” according to the organization. “Children who are raised with safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and environments are more academically and financially successful and grow up to be productive, contributing members of their communities. Pinwheels are a reminder that we all play a role in children’s lives.”
Following a presentation by Emmerling, county employees and officials went to a variety of mulch piles around vegetation and trees on the property, and planted the blue-and-white pinwheels on sticks into the ground.
“Now most people will say it might be government’s responsibility, or law enforcement’s responsibility, or the schools’ responsibility, or even where you stand now at the DSS to prevent child abuse,” Emmerling said. “The reality is it’s each one of us because it is, of course, a community effort.
“When you stand up today to plant your pinwheel, please realize you’re making a testimony to say you personally stand against child abuse and you will not allow this to go on on your watch.”
He said in preparation for the event, he read a lot of sobering statistics, but the point is the only number that matters when it comes to child abuse prevention is that abuse happens to zero children.
“It is not child abuse prevention; it’s child abuse eradication.”
Emmerling told Cville Right Now after the ceremony that zero goal is a really high goal, “But we’re determined to do it through the unity of the community and with individual people.”
Pulling out one statistic, Emmerling said statistically as the internet became more prevalent, especially since 2013 when there were about 500,000 reports of child abuse that year, the estimated total is up to about an estimated 3 million reports with technology and AI increasingly contributing.
As far as what someone in the community can do toward prevention, “Pay attention to all of the signs potentially of child abuse, if a child mentions anything unusual, has unusual knowledge, says some things about a friend, or acts in a way that makes you wonder ‘how they know this or think about this’, ask the question.
“If there’s any question about reporting, you can always call Child Protective Services, law enforcement and so on and just say, ‘Hey, I’m not sure what to do’.”
Emmerling said that report can be anonymous, but it’s important someone reports, and there’s no penalty for reporting childhood abuse in any way.
Albemarle supervisors recognized April as Child Abuse Prevention Month through a proclamation urging “all community members, organizations, businesses, and institutions to renew their commitment to protecting children, supporting families, increasing awareness of child abuse prevention resources, and participating in activities that promote child well-being.”