Pinwheel planting ceremony at Hancock County Courthouse on April 2 to honor child victims of abuse, neglect

CARTHAGE, Ill. — Advocacy Network for Children is planning a pinwheel planting ceremony in honor of April being National Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month at 12:05 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2, at the Hancock County Courthouse, 500 Main.

Since opening its doors nearly 35 years ago, Advocacy Network for Children has advocated for thousands of abused and neglected children in Adams, Brown, Cass, Hancock, McDonough, Morgan, Pike, Schuyler and Scott 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 staggering facts include:

• 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 and 68% are abused by a family member.

For every incident of child abuse or neglect that’s reported, an estimated two incidents go unreported as reported by Child Protect (www.childprotect.org).