The Lake County Courthouse lobby was packed Monday afternoon as representatives from across the county joined forces to kick off the Blue Kids Lake County campaign against child abuse.
The awareness campaign will run throughout April, which is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. The main objective is to educate the community about potential signs of child abuse and how to help prevent it.
Speakers from a number of governmental agencies and advocacy groups targeted the topic Monday and encouraged an energetic effort to address the issue.
“Every single day, our felony judges are addressing cases of child abuse,” said John Phillips, chief judge of the Lake County Circuit Court. “Child abuse used to be discussed in quiet tones. We need to bring attention to it, and hopefully help eradicate it as well.”
After saying “it takes a village” to prevent child abuse, County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor praised the growing coalition of partners involved with the Blue Kids campaign, including villages, the Lake County Health Department, the County Board and Circuit Court, the Lake County Children’s Advocacy center and a host of other governmental and not-for-profit groups.
Lawlor said addressing child abuse requires addressing the “whole child,” including making sure children are well-dressed and well-fed, and given support and a chance to succeed.
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He also said it takes open eyes and open ears.
“One child abuse case that goes unreported is too many,” Lawlor said. “One case of child abuse is too many.”
Picking up on that theme, Regional Superintendent of Schools Roycealee Wood said Lake County’s teachers are not only carefully screened for their positions, but educated on spotting potential abuse as well.
“Every day of the year our educators are aware of the dangers of people who abuse our children. It’s very sad. The Lake County Regional Office of Education is very glad to be part of this program,” Wood said.
Lake County State’s Attorney Michael Nerheim said he hand-picks the assistant state’s attorneys who handle child abuse cases because it takes special traits and abilities.
“To prosecute these cases is difficult. It’s hard on the staff,” Nerheim said. “You have to open yourself up to some of that pain.”
Identifying and prosecuting child abuse is also hard, Nerheim said, because “victims don’t want to report because they are scared. They don’t think anyone will believe them.”
Child abuse can run the gamut from verbal, physical and sexual abuse to bullying.
According to Nerheim, the Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center last year handled 681 new cases of physical or sexual abuse of children in Lake County.
The campaign is asking residents to visit http://www.BlueKidsLakeCounty.org for information about recognizing and preventing child abuse and heightening visibility of the issue. Donations may also be made at the site. Blue Kids Lake County also runs a Facebook page under its name.
The Blue Kids Lake County mission is to keep the county’s children’s safe, and its goals include raising awareness and providing information on child abuse in person, online and through social media.
Helping to raise visibility are blue and white lawn signs, which show support for and raise awareness of the group’s efforts. They may be purchased for $10 on the group’s website through April.
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