Council proclaims April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month; young advocates brief council on local statistics and events

Columbus City Council adopted a resolution recognizing April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month and heard testimony from youth advocates and local service providers.

Councilmember Green introduced the resolution and invited members of the Center for Healthy Families’ Black Girls and Young Women’s Collective, Franklin County Children’s Services and other local advocates to speak. Several young people from the center and partnering organizations described outreach activities planned for April and urged residents to report suspected abuse.

Speakers provided data the city cited from Franklin County Children’s Services: about 28,000 reports of child abuse to the county hotline in 2023, which the presenters described as an average of roughly 76 reports per day. The presenters said over half of those reports involved concerns of physical abuse, roughly one in six alleged sexual abuse and roughly one in eight involved domestic violence in the home; they also said in 2021 there were more than 7,200 incidents concerning Black girls, which they said highlights disproportionate impacts.

The advocates outlined a calendar of awareness activities discussed at the meeting: a public display of blue pinwheels and a solidarity walk to be held at City Hall (meeting remarks corrected a published pinwheel date during remarks), citywide illumination of blue lights during the week of April 7, a request that residents wear blue on April 9 and an invitation to Franklin County Children’s Services’ annual Child Abuse Prevention Breakfast on April 9. The center also described kiosks in Short North and downtown that will display prevention advertisements and encouraged social-media sharing of those spots.

Following presentations and councilmember remarks thanking the young advocates, the council adopted the resolution by roll call.