Mayor Kelly Smith Johnston on Tuesday officiated a City of Centralia proclamation recognizing April 2022 as “Child Abuse Prevention Month” in the city.
The move was made in light of a marked increase upwards of about 30% in instances of documented child abuse in the region, Smith Johnston said.
“The city of Centralia recognizes our future rests on the hands of our most vulnerable and cherished assets — our children,” Smith Johnston read from the proclamation. “All children deserve to live in safe, stable and nurturing environments which promote their healthy growth and development.”
The proclamation goes on to say that child abuse, neglect and other trauma present problems in public health, affecting the community’s quality of life both currently and into the future.
“It is the responsibility of our community to ensure parents, caregivers and other adults who influence the health and well-being of children have the support, knowledge and concrete resources necessary to ensure all children thrive to their greatest potential,” Smith Johnston said, adding that child-abuse-prevention strategies succeed when community partnerships are strong.
Councilor Leah Daarud has sponsored two different events relating to the fight against child abuse this month.
