During the month of April, many organizations, including the Henry Doorly Zoo and Woodmen Life, are shining blue lights in honor of Child Abuse Awareness Month.
Angela Roeber, Director of Communications for Project Harmony, says there are also more than 13,000 pinwheels spinning across the metro to bring awareness and education to child abuse.
Roeber says in 2017, Project Harmony provided services to 3300 children within the community. Of those cases, 50% were sexual abuse, 23% neglect, 14% physical abuse and 10% witness to violence.
Roeber says in the state of Nebraska, everyone is a mandatory reporter. She says it takes all of us to understand, recognize and react responsibly to reports of child abuse.
"So if you see something or suspect something, say something. You don’t have to have all the facts, just call the child abuse hotline number or law enforcement and let them know what you’ve seen or what you’ve heard or what you suspect and then let the professionals take it from there and fill in the gaps and determine whether this is a case that need to be investigated.”
Roeber says child abuse doesn’t discriminate. It spans all races, socio-economic boundaries and gender.
She says ProjectHarmony.comis a great place for families to go to learn more about the signs of abuse as well as to answer any general questions they may have.