Throughout April, blue ribbons will pop up across Pike County. The distinctive markers are a familiar reminder of the Pike Regional Child Advocacy Center’s efforts to raise awareness about the impact of child abuse during April, the month set aside for that purpose.

The CAC, which works year-round to edcuate and inform, as well as protect and aid, steps up its community education efforts to ne levels this month, as well it should.

Child abuse and neglect are pervasive and costly. Consider these national statistics from the Childhelp foundation:

• A report of child abuse is made every 10 seconds in the United States.

• Almost five children die each day as a result of child abuse. More than 75 percent of those are under the age of 4.

• Some 90 percent of child sexual abuse victims know the perpetrator in some way; 68 percent are abused by family members.

• More than 60 percent of the people in drug rehabilitation centers report being abused or neglected as a child.

• In 2007, experts estimated the cost of child abuse and neglect in the United States at $104 billion.

The frightening reality is that child abuse happens everywhere, including in Pike County. It is real. It is dangerous. And it is an epidemic which we must work together to end.

Buying a blue ribbon to hang on your door or tie to mailbox may seem like a small gesture, but it’s the culimination of those small gestures – small donations – that help fund the day-to-day work of the Child Advocacy Center. It’s a tangible way you can help make a difference, and it’s simple.

For more information about purchasing a blue ribbon, or to learn more about the CAC and its work, call 334.670.0487.