Madison County to host state launch in observance of Child Abuse Prevention Month
The Oasis Women’s Center’s Clothesline Project. display from previous years. (IBJ file photo)
On Mar. 31, 2023, Prevent Child Abuse Illinois and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, in partnership with the Third Judicial Circuit Family Violence Prevention Council and other community organizations, will be holding a press conference and public forum, “Building Together: Prevention in Partnership,” to launch April 2023’s Child Abuse Prevention Month.
Guest speakers include Chief Judge Stephen Stobbs; Associate Judge Maureen Schuette; Kurt Prenzler, Madison County Board Chairman; Tarra Winters, Prevent Child Abuse Illinois; Maria Miller, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services; and Carrie Cohan, Director, Madison County Child Advocacy Center. The event will include a proclamation reading and information regarding the prevention of child abuse and neglect.
On display at the press conference will be the Oasis Women’s Center’s Clothesline Project. In this moving display, a clothesline is hung with tee-shirts that have been decorated by victims of domestic violence, many of whom are children, and their supporters. The tee-shirts vividly represent their own feelings and experiences. The Madison County Child Advocacy Center will display the numbers of children involved in investigations of abuse and who have been interviewed at the Center last year, with blue and pink paper silhouettes poignantly representing each child. These displays will remain at the Administration Building for the month of April.
For further information, contact Coordinator Tina Culp at (618) 465-1978 or tinaculp@oasiswomenscenter.com. Additional information about Prevent Child Abuse Illinois and Child Abuse Prevention Month can be found on the website at www.preventchildabuseillinois.org.
Every person plays a part to help increase awareness and prevent abuse and neglect before it ever happens. The public and the press are urged to attend.
The following organizations and individuals were instrumental in planning this event: Prevent Child Abuse Illinois, Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Third Judicial Circuit Family Violence Prevention Council, Oasis Women’s Center, Madison County Child Advocacy Center, Madison County Mental Health Board, and Refuge.
