NORRISTOWN — Citizens at the forefront of advocating for children who are victims of abuse braved a chilly wind in their blue coats, shirts and sweaters as they stood on the steps of the Montgomery County Courthouse to recognize April as Child Abuse Prevention Month.
The “Wear Blue on the Steps” for Child Abuse Prevention Month event was hosted by the Montgomery Child Advocacy Project on Friday.
“April marks a significant time for advocates and communities to remember the work we need to do to prevent child abuse,” Mary C. Pugh, executive director of MCAP, addressed more than two dozen people who attended the event. “Child abuse has no boundaries. It affects children from all walks of life, socioeconomic statuses, religions, neighborhoods and families.”
Elected officials, including state representatives and county row officers, joined members of the county judiciary and child advocates at the event.
“Together, we are making a difference helping all children live safe, healthy, happy lives filled with hopes, dreams and love,” Pugh said. “In Montgomery County, we do stand together against child abuse.”
Formed in the late 1990s and officially becoming a nonprofit group in 2005, the child advocacy project is designed to provide free legal representation and social services to children who are victims of abuse and neglect.
Volunteer lawyers support and protect frightened, overwhelmed children as they navigate the court system. The child advocates address the needs of children who are victims or witnesses in cases of family violence when the interests of the child are in conflict with the rest of the family.
County President Judge Carolyn Tornetta Carluccio said children should never be put in harm’s way and yet there are more than 3.6 million cases of child abuse reported nationwide each year. For every incident of child abuse that is reported, an estimated two incidents are unreported, Carluccio said.
“Those numbers are just really scary. It occurs at every level of our society, regardless of ethnicity, culture, economic standing or education. Child abuse is a horrific experience with lasting effects,” Carluccio said. “However, child abuse is preventable. As a community, prevention is in our hands.”
Quoting well-known television host Mr. Rogers, Carluccio said, “The roots of a child’s ability to cope and thrive lie in the child having a small, safe place where, with the help of a loving person, that child can discover he or she is lovable and capable of loving in return. If a child finds this safe space, he or she can grow up to be a competent, healthy person.”
For the past 20 years, Carluccio said, members of MCAP have advocated for and provided a safe space for more than 9,000 children in the county, “children who are often too young to understand the nature of the abuse perpetrated against them.”
“Today, we stand with MCAP, in our blue, to wholeheartedly accept the challenge to educate our community, strengthen our families, love and protect our children and give them a safe space,” Carluccio said.
Pugh said MCAP has handled more than 7,000 cases, representing more than 10,000 abused, neglected or trafficked children, since 2004.
“Here in Montgomery County, we do it best. We are the beacon and we are the template that other counties want to be. We work with law enforcement, we work with social service agencies, we go before every single judge on our bench and represent those unique voices,” Pugh said. “We get to participate in miracles every day.”
