Children's Advocacy Centers of North Dakota Joins National Children's Alliance in Recognizing April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month

Bismarck, ND, April 05, 2014 --(PR.com)-- Throughout the month of April, Children’s Advocacy Centers of North Dakota (CACND) is joining National Children’s Alliance and its thousands of members and supporters across the country to bring much needed attention to the issues of child abuse intervention and prevention. In a concerted effort, the Children’s Advocacy Center movement has launched the Stand Up, Step Forward campaign, intended to inspire victims to find the courage to disclose their abuse and adults to find the courage to take action and report it.

As stated by Teresa Huizar, Executive Director of National Children’s Alliance, “National Children’s Alliance supports child victims of abuse through the nationwide work of Children’s Advocacy Centers. Every individual can help child victims of abuse by learning the signs of abuse and how to report it and by visiting www.HelpVictimsBecomeSurvivors.org to pledge their support for child victims.”

As active members of this community dedicated to helping children, North Dakota’s Children’s Advocacy Centers are also conducting a number of other activities on a local level to recognize the importance of awareness raising and community education surrounding the subject of child abuse. Northern Plains Children’s Advocacy Centers is hosting a Stand Up Speak Out Silent Auction and Dinner on April 4th to raise awareness for child abuse. For more information, go to www.northernplainscac.org. Dakota Children’s Advocacy Center is co-sponsoring Race to Zero on April 12th, as part of the Bismarck Prevention Task Force and in partnership with other local area organizations. Race to Zero is a 5k walk/run to encourage community conversation about sexual assault awareness and prevention. For more information, go to www.facebook.com/RacetoZero. Red River Children’s Advocacy Center in Fargo is hosting Walk with Courage on April 30th. Walk with Courage is a 5k walk raising awareness for child abuse and celebrating children who come forward and show courage every day. For more information on this event, go to www.rrcac.org.

According to Ashley Steckler, Executive Director of CACND, “Children’s Advocacy Centers of North Dakota fully supports the multidisciplinary approach to responding to allegations of child abuse. We believe that our local communities should become more educated about the benefits of the MDT process and learn how to recognize signs of abuse. During the month of April, the issue of child abuse will be at the forefront of national discussions and we can only hope that our fellow citizens will pay attention as much needed light is shed on this issue.”

For more information on howto get involved in local events related to National Child Abuse Prevention Month, please visit www.cacnd.org or visit www.nationalchildrensalliance.org.

Children's Advocacy Centers of North Dakota is an accredited state chapter of the National Children’s Alliance, which supports local communities by promoting and assisting the development, growth and continuation of Children's Advocacy Centers (including Dakota Children’s Advocacy Center, Northern Plains Children’s Advocacy Center, and Red River Children’s Advocacy Center) to enhance North Dakota's response to child abuse. Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs) are committed to improving the response to child abuse. We are a statewide network of community partnerships that utilize a comprehensive, multidisciplinary team approach to investigating child abuse. Attention to the needs and abilities of children is the hallmark of our programs, ensuring that children are not further victimized by the systems intended to protect them.

National Children’s Alliance is the national association and accrediting body for the over 750 Children’s Advocacy Centers and 48 State Chapters serving each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Dedicated to helping local communities respond to allegations of child abuse in ways that are effective and efficient, and put the needs of child victims of abuse first, National Children’s Alliance provides support and advocacy to its accredited membership, as well as numerous developing centers, multidisciplinary teams and child abuse professionals around the country, and the world. Founded in 1998, National Children’s Alliance provides accreditation opportunities, financial assistance, training, technical assistance, research and education to communities, child abuse professionals and children’s advocacy centers throughout the United States in support of child abuse intervention, advocacy and prevention.