Go Blue

Why is Child Abuse Prevention Month important to us?

While the ACCAC has been supporting child victims and their families in Adams County for since 2006, there is still work to be done. In 2024, our center supported 216 child victims and their families. These children have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, witnessed violent crimes, or been the victim of violent crimes, with many of them experiencing multiple of these traumatizing situations.

At the ACCAC, we teach children the warning signs of abuse so they can speak up if something does happen, but we know that child abuse prevention starts with adults– it is our responsibility to protect and nurture the children in our lives. Preventing child abuse allows children to grow up without fear of others, lessens their likelihood of depression and anxiety, and can encourage healthy relationships throughout the course of their lives.

In 1874, the first documented case of child abuse occurred in New York with Mary Ellen Wilson. This led to the creation of the non-governmental New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Similar organizations were created across the country, with over 300 in place by 1922. In 1912, the federal government created the Children’s Bureau, in order to investigate & report on matters of the welfare of children; this was the first time the federal government played a part in taking responsibility for the welfare of children.

In 1962, Dr. C. Henry Kempe & Brandt F. Steele published “The Battered Child Syndrome” article through the Journal of American Medical Association, exposing the reality of child abuse and giving doctors ways to identify, understand, and report child abuse. By 1967, all 50 states had passed legislation mandating reporting of child abuse in some form.

In 1974, The Child Abuse Protection & Treatment Act was passed on the federal level, providing funding to states for prevention, identification, and treatment of child abuse. It now provides the minimum standard for child maltreatment definitions across the nation. It was also through this process that the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (now the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect) was created in order to be the forefront of addressing the national problem of child abuse.

Congress designated June 6-12, 1982 as the first National Child Abuse Prevention Week. In 1983, April was formally designated at the first Child Abuse Prevention Month.

In 1989, the Blue Ribbon Campaign was started by a grandmother in Virginia in honor of her grandson who passed away as a result of child abuse. She tied a blue ribbon to her car’s antenna.

Today, the color blue is widely used to represent Child Abuse Prevention.

A more in-depth history of the Child Abuse Protection & Treatment Act, or overviews of the past National Conferences of Child Abuse & Neglect can be found here: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/focus-areas/child-abuse-neglect/nccan

  • In 2023, Pennsylvania had 40,301 child abuse referrals
    • 11.7% of those referrals were substantiated
      • 1,482 were for children ages 0-4
      • 1,402 were for children ages 5-9
      • 1,278 were for children ages 10-14
      • 558 were for children age 15+
    • 2,278 referrals were about a child who previously had at least one abuse concern
  • Across the state, the child abuse referrals reported multiple types of abuse
    • 34.1% of reports were related to sexual abuse
    • 26.3% related to physical abuse/bodily injury
    • 16.1% related to likelihood of bodily injury
    • 15.9% related to serious physical neglect
    • 3.8% related to “per se” acts*
    • 1.1% related to likelihood of sexual exploitation
    • 1.1% related to severe form of trafficking
    • 0.8% related to serious mental injury
    • 0.1% related to medical abuse
  • In 2023, Pennsylvania received 173,423 additional reports of general concern
    • 22.6% of those reports were found to be valid concerns
      • 17,226 were for children ages 0-4
      • 15,201 were for children ages 5-9
      • 15,312 were for children ages 10-14
      • 8,766 were for children age 15+
      • 169 had age not reported
  • In 2023, there were 57 substantiated child deaths across the state, due to abuse and/or neglect.
    • 25 of the children were under the age of 1
    • An additional 119 near-deaths occurred across the state.
  • Over 42 million Pennsylvania adults are survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

*per se acts, as defined by PA CPSL law include: kicking, biting, throwing, burning, stabbing, or cutting child in a manner that endangers the child; unreasonably restraining or confining a child, based on consideration of method, location, or duration.
**data from 2023 Pennsylvania Child Protective Services Report; 2023 being most recent data available

  • In 2023, Adams County received 329 child abuse referrals
    • 16.4% of those referrals were substantiated
    • 19.3% of referrals were about a child who previously had at least one abuse concern
  • Of the substaniated reports, many contained multiple types of abuse:
    • 27.3% reported sexual abuse
    • 40.9% reported physical abuse and/or bodily injury
    • 12.1% reported reasonable likelihood of bodily injury
    • 7.6% reported serious physical neglect
    • 4.5% reported engaging in “per se” acts*
    • 3.0% reported likelihood of sexual exploitation
    • 4.5% reported severe form of trafficking
  • In 2023, Adams County had 1,452 reports of general concerns, with some reports containing multiple concerns.
    • 253 concerns for caregiver’s substance use
    • 244 concerns for child’s behavioral health and/or intellectual disability concerns
    • 228 concerns for truancy and/or educational neglect
    • 213 concerns for caregiver conduct placing child at risk, or failing to protect child
    • 155 concerns for domestic violence
    • 116 concerns for inadequate housing
    • 112 concerns for caregiver behavioral health and/or intellectual disability concerns
    • 103 concerns for inappropriate discipline
    • 95 concerns for inadequately meeting basic needs
    • 79 concerns for “other”
    • 43 concerns for inadequate health care
    • 43 concerns for lack of supervision
    • 34 concerns for child acting out sexually
    • 28 concerns for child substance use
    • 8 concerns for abandonment
    • 2 concerns for infant withdrawal symptoms

*per se acts, as defined by PA CPSL law include: kicking, biting, throwing, burning, stabbing, or cutting child in a manner that endangers the child; unreasonably restraining or confining a child, based on consideration of method, location, or duration.
**data from 2023 Pennsylvania Child Protective Services Report; 2023 being most recent data available

  • The Adams County Children’s Advocacy Center received 527 referrals of Child Line reports.
  • The ACCAC was able to support 216 child victims and their families through forensic interviews, advocacy, support groups, and therapy.
  • Of the 216 children served:
    • 134 identified as female
    • 78 identified as male
    • 2 identified as non-binary
    • 1 identified as transgender
    • 1 did not report their gender
    • 128 were ages 2-12 years
    • 84 were ages 13-17 years
    • 4 were ages 18+
  • The children served by ACCAC reported:
    • 186 cases of child sexual abuse/assault
    • 80 cases of child physical abuse and/or neglect
    • 49 cases of reckless endangerment
    • 31 cases involving child sexual abuse materials
    • 30 cases involving domestic and/or international terrorism
    • 19 cases of bullying
    • 4 cases of teen dating violence
    • 2 cases of kidnapping
    • 1 case of hate crime

What will you do to prevent child abuse today?

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