Normal, IL, USA / www.cities929.com
Apr 8, 2021 2:26 PM
(The Center Square) – Blue ribbons, blue icing on cookies and blue pinwheels mean it is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and organizations across the state are holding events and activities to promote messages of awareness and prevention throughout Illinois.
Denise McCaffrey, executive director for Prevent Child Abuse Illinois, said the pandemic has definitely had an impact on abuse in the state. At the start of the pandemic, it looked like the cases were going down, but it was the reports, she said.
“We saw a real downtrend right at the start of the pandemic because kids were not in school, they were home, they were isolated, people that would normally see these kids and call the hotline were not seeing them,” she said.