Flag raising on Friday at Adams County Courthouse to recognize Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month

QUINCY — Advocacy Network for Children will hold a flag raising ceremony in honor of April being National Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month at noon on Friday, April 11, on the Fifth Street side of the Adams County Courthouse, 521 Vermont.

The flag raising ceremony is to honor child victims who have been abused, neglected or have lost their life to abuse or neglect over the years. A local law enforcement honor guard will be present for the raising of the flag, and Mayor Mike Troup will read a proclamation.

Speakers will be Adams County State’s Attorney Todd Eyler, Quincy Police Chief Adam Yates, a representative from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Advocacy Network for Children board president Brooke Stokes and Advocacy Network for Children Foundation board president Kent Snider.

Agencies and organizations in the county, as well as the general public, are invited to attend.

Since opening its doors 35 years ago, Advocacy Network for Children has advocated for thousands of abused and neglected children in Adams County. Protecting and upholding the rights of children when wrongs have been committed against them is the heart of its mission.

Child abuse occurs at every socioeconomic level, across ethnic and cultural lines, within all religions and at all levels of education. Some facts are:

• Approximately 5 children die every day because of child abuse
• 1 out of 3 girls and 1 out of 5 boys will be sexually abused before they reach age 18
• 90% of child sexual abuse victims know the perpetrator in some way
• 68% are abused by a family member
• 14% of all men and 36% of all women in prison were abused as children
• For every incident of child abuse or neglect that’s reported, an estimated two incidents go unreported

As reported by Child Protect (http://www.childprotect.org).