Community Working Together to Prevent Child Abuse

Jay Barrett/KMXT

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, when those who work with families and children work to raise awareness of what a problem child abuse is in Alaska, and provide people with the tools to prevent it.

On KMXT’s Talk of the Rock, four women who work with children and families spoke about raising awareness of abuse prevention efforts on Kodiak Island.

They were Cindy Harrington, of the Kodiak Area Native Association, Mary Gray wit the Alaska Office of Children’s Services, and Rebecca Shields and Pattie Larson of the Kodiak Women’s Resource and Crisis Center.

Gray explained how the Kodiak Island community has prepared for raising awareness:

— (Awareness 1 40 sec "This is a month where … the city here in Kodiak.")

Harrington said the agencies involved would like to keep the level of awareness high all year:

— (Awareness 2 25 sec "We’re looking to increase … involved with prevention.")

Shields said if anyone sees someone wearing a mint-green ribbon, to ask them about the resources available in the community, as that is the symbol of the Child Abuse Prevention Month:

— (Awareness 3 58 sec "You might see folks …folks that are having trouble.")

Besides the four agencies present on Talk of the Rock, Shields said the Sun’aq (shoo-nack) Tribe, Head Start, and others are collaborators.

— (Awareness 4 27 sec "It’s a very long list … stand against child abuse.")

Harrington and Larson said there are plenty of opportunities for preventing child abuse:

— (Awareness 5 51 sec "Prevention is all about strengthening … that looks like.")

###