Mary Alice Reporting – Governor Mike DeWine sent out a personal message to continue the effort to raise awareness about child abuse and prevention.
Ohio’s leader has supported this initiative in various ways, such as passing House Bill 4 last year, which relates to child welfare, and he also approved over $1 million in grants for human trafficking prevention, specifically to assist with minors or are victims or at-risk.
DeWine says abuse can also have lasting impacts on a child’s physical and mental health.
“Every thirty-one minutes in Ohio there’s a confirmed report of child abuse or neglect. That means thousands of Ohio kids are facing danger and trauma every single day.”
Locally, pinwheels remain in place on the Tuscarawas County Courthouse steps, representing the number of children assisted through Noah’s Hope Child Advocacy Center and the Job and Family Services Office.
Noah’s Hope completed 159 interviews in 2022, with 152 cases related to sexual abuse. For the Tuscarawas JFS, they responded to almost 1,600 calls last year regarding allegations of child abuse, neglect, or dependency, and officials conducted over 370 investigations.
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