By TARA HETTINGER
Armed with umbrellas, coats and gloves, the dozen or so people who gathered alongside the Clark Memorial Bridge in Jeffersonville prepared to march to raise awareness on child abuse Thursday morning.
The group didn’t let the weather stop their journey, which was to walk across the bridge to Slugger Field, where they would join others who also work to prevent child abuse.
“Whether it rains or shines, there’s going to be abuse and neglect,” said Sarah Bucy, president of Clark/Floyd County Child Abuse Prevention Council.
According to the Indiana Department of Child Services, in 2005, 2,700 children were reported as being physically or sexually abused and/or neglected in Clark and Floyd counties. John Barksdale, director of the Floyd County Department of Child Services, said that number is now at about 3,600 per year.
He said more people need to be aware of the growing problem.
“We feel like it’s every adult’s responsibility to protect children,” Barksdale said.
All who were there work with abused children in some way.
“You see a lot of pain of what happens to these kids,” said Jennifer Richardson, who works for the Floyd County Youth Shelter. “It’s the kind of pain you have to take home with you when you think a kid is getting abused.”
“It’s hard to go home to your family when you think about if you’re going to see that child again and if you do, if they’ll have bruises too,” said Amanda Johnson, who also works at the shelter.
“If we can prevent it, we won’t have to see it anymore,” Richardson added.
Once the group reached Slugger Field, they met up with organizations in Kentucky who also work for the same cause. The groups had a ribbon-tying ceremony to symbolize them joining their efforts together in honor of Child Abuse Awareness month.
Just last week, the state marked the hiring of more than 800 new child welfare caseworkers since Gov. Mitch Daniels took office in January 2005 with the swearing in ceremony of 29 child welfare case workers and three child support staff members.
The Department of Child Services also released a report that said 36 children died as a result of abuse or neglect in 2007, down from 53 the year before.
Daniels attributed that to having more caseworkers as well as improved training and protocols for those employees.
