LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and the Child Advocacy Centers (CAC) of Michigan are working to spread resources.
In 2022, more than 50 Michigan children died as a result of abuse or neglect. The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System reports that over 20,000 children were victims of maltreatment that year.
Melissa Werkman is the CEO of CAC, a network that runs 40 centers and works with partners to provide services in 77 of Michigan’s 83 counties. She said one in every 10 children will experience some form of abuse before they turn 18.
“Child sexual abuse in particular and child abuse in general do not know any particular demographic or socioeconomic status. We see it in every single zip code in every single community.” Werkman said. “Our whole goal at all of our child advocacy centers is to ensure that we get kids back to being kids as soon as possible and get them on the road to healing so that they can live a long life full of hope and happiness.”
Every Child Abuse Prevention Month, the centers focus on informing the community. Werkman said arming yourself with information is critical. CAC hosts multiple online training sessions at CACMI.org every month called Keeping Kids Safe, where they teach community members how to handle a situation where they suspect abuse.
Werkman said the most important thing is to listen to any child talking about abusive behavior and file a report. Law enforcement or Child Protective Services are the ones responsible for investigating and determining if the abuse occurred or not.
The centers focus on child abuse, physical, verbal, and sexual, as well as neglect. They work to make sure a child can acess mental health and medical seervices, and make sure any child can have an advocate in their corner.
