The Children’s Advocacy Center held its ‘Stand up for Kids’ event in Miller Park Saturday to raise awareness for child abuse and neglect in the South Plains.
Members of the community stood in solidarity for the 768 children that were abused across the South Plains last year.
“We need people out here holding the signs up, showing the children of the South Plains that there are people who care about them,” Carmen Aguirre, executive director of the Children’s Advocacy Center said.
Aguirre said the South Plains consistently rates highest in the state in confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect.
“We really need to make the community aware of the problem, but most importantly is we need adults to be aware of the signs and symptoms of child abuse, and more than that, be willing to make a report,” Aguirre said.
Many local agencies were there showing support, including the Lubbock chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse.
“Don’t think that it’s not happening or that it’s not going to happen to you or your family,” BACA president Bradley Bruge said.
Kristi Mailman, CPS investigation program director, said child abuse is everybody’s business. She urged people to trust their instincts and report if they think something is off.
“There’s hope in healing for when a child is abused or neglected,” Mailman said. “Statistics show if they can help to ease the trauma for what they’ve been through, then they have a high probability of going forward and being a healthy kid again,”
If you or someone you know suspects child abuse click here to report it.
