Pinwheels Planted in Observance of Child Abuse Awareness Month

She was just a little girl looking forward to spending time with her grandmother. It was devastating when her grandmother found out the much bigger and darker reason the little girl wanted to come for a visit.

Kate Archer, Assistant Director at Kid’s Place – A Child Advocacy Center, spoke about the little girl while holding back tears. The story was brutal, but unfortunately, Kate has heard many similar stories, with some being even worse.

“The grandmother of the little girl, who lives in our area of Tennessee, hadn’t been getting many updates on her granddaughter after she and her mother moved out of state,” said Kate. “She was getting more and more concerned about her granddaughter’s well-being. The mom has issues with substance abuse, and the dad is not in the picture,” Kate explained.

“The grandmother was finally able to speak with the little girl’s mom on the phone, and she agreed to let the girl come to Tennessee for a visit,” Kate continued. “When she finally got the little girl back to Tennessee, the grandmother noticed that she just didn’t seem to be acting like herself.” She was quieter, more reserved.

“The grandmother took the little girl to the doctor to be checked out,” Kate continued. Following the doctor visit, the little girl finally opened up and started talking about what she had been going through since leaving Tennessee. It was so much worse than what the grandmother had even feared.

“The grandmother was devastated to find out that not only had her precious granddaughter been sexually abused; she had actually been sex trafficked by her own mother,” Kate said.

What could she do to keep from sending her granddaughter back into that horrific situation? What steps could she take to gain legal custody of the little girl, and get it done quickly? Kate said that the grandmother took her granddaughter out to eat one day at the Brass Lantern in Lawrenceburg. It just so happened that there was a sign displayed at the restaurant from Kid’s Place – A Child Advocacy Center. The message on the sign caught the grandmother’s attention – “It’s not just a sign…it can save a life.”

She wrote down the phone number on the sign, and that one phone call connected her with the people who could literally help to save her granddaughter’s life. The granddaughter was removed from her mother’s custody and began to receive the assistance she needed to heal and begin the path toward recovery.

This is just one story of many that the people at Kid’s Place hear and act on. Every year since 1983, the Tennessee Department of Children's Services has joined child welfare professionals across the U.S. in recognizing April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month. One of the best strategies is supporting families before they reach a crisis.

Kid’s Place – A Child Advocacy Center, a non-profit 501(c)(3) agency, opened in Lawrence County, TN in 1998, serving the counties of Wayne, Lawrence, Maury, and Giles. Kid’s Place specializes in treating childhood trauma such as sexual abuse, physical abuse, exposure to meth, witness to domestic abuse, and witness to homicide. They also offer free training in preventing, reporting, and detecting child abuse for parents and professionals in the communities they serve. Kid’s Place has a location in Waynesboro on North High Street next to Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

Every year, Kid’s Place oversees the placement of pinwheels in different locations around the counties they serve as a way of demonstrating commitment to building a healthy community and investing in the lives of children. The pinwheels serve as a reminder of the importance of recognizing and reporting suspected child abuse.

Reporting child abuse isn't just the right thing to do - it's the law. In Tennessee, everyone is required by state law to report knowledge or suspicions of child abuse or neglect. The Tennessee Child Abuse Hotline takes these reports 24/7, 365 days a year. The number 877-237-0004. Call 911 if there is a life-threatening emergency.

Kid’s Place shares the following tips for recognizing suspected child abuse and the statistics on the impact of child abuse:

• Not all victims of child abuse show physical symptoms. Look for behavioral and emotional changes in children that could include depression, aggression, withdrawal, and poor hygiene. Some victims show no physical or behavioral symptoms of abuse.

• More than 90% of child sexual abuse victims know their abuser. Many children never report abuse. Nearly 70% of all reported sexual assaults occur to children ages 17 and under. Of children who are abused, 20% are abused before age 8.

• Offenders use coercion, threats, play, and manipulation to engage and silence children. If you suspect abuse or neglect, report it. Eighty-eight percent of all cases of child sexual abuse are never reported to authorities.

• There are many reasons why a child may not report child abuse including fear, confusion, depression, and self-blame.

• The long-term impact of child abuse is staggering. Lifetime estimates of lost work productivity, health care costs, special education costs, child welfare expenses, and criminal justice expenditures add up to $585 billion. • As many as two-thirds of the people in alcohol and drug treatment reported being abused or neglected as children. Children who experience child abuse and neglect are nine times more likely to become involved in criminal activity. Abused children are 25% more likely to become a teenage parent.

Child abuse is a public health concern. It impacts the victim, their family, the local community, and society as a whole. Long-term consequences of child abuse include emotional and mental health problems, delinquency and crime, substance abuse issues, academic problems, and many others.

The blue pinwheels placed around the counties served by Kid’s Place represent the awareness that every child deserves a healthy, happy childhood.