WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Child abuse is an alarming issue happening across our nation and one non-profit is working toward raising awareness about it happening in our area.
A pinwheel signifies childhood joy and playfulness but the blue one being held by Shannon Peduto represents child abuse prevention.
“Every year in Luzerne County, there are over 3,000 reports of child abuse happening in our community, so it’s very important that we keep our doors open so we are here to help these children and these families.”
Peduto is the Executive Director of the Luzerne County Child Advocacy Center in Wilkes-Barre.
The non-profit has held a ‘pinwheels for prevention’ event annually – placing hundreds of pinwheels in the county to show the upward trend of child abuse.
“500 of these pinwheels will be planted at City Hall Hazleton and at the Luzerne County courthouse lawn next month, signifying 500 children who disclosed abuse.” . . . “The sooner that we can get in and help the intervention early, we can turn a child’s life around from what they experienced. Abuse is usually happening over years, not just one incident.”
Operating for more than a decade, the non-profit gets called in to conduct forensic interviews and medical examinations if necessary to identify abuse.
Work that’s at no cost for families.
That’s why Peduto says they’re in need of sponsors and community donors to keep its doors open.
“We want to make sure that we’re here 10 years from now, 20 years from now because child abuse has only been increasing and we’re trying to stop that. That is the mission of our center to help these children, but to stop generational abuse.”
As April marks child abuse prevention month she says the most important thing the community can do is address the issue that’s happening in our own backyard.
“It is very important, we tell people all the time, if you see something happening, please say something because you could save the life of a child.”
The Luzerne County Child Advocacy Center’s Pinwheels for Prevention event will take place on March 28th in Hazleton and Wilkes-Barre.
