A nonprofit in Dallas has set up a mural at the Galleria to call attention to Child Abuse Prevention Month. The mural by the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center is on the first level of the Galleria and shows three-dimensional pinwheels.
"It's our way of spreading awareness, letting everyone know they can participate in this fight against child abuse," says President Irish Burch.
The Dallas Children's Advocacy Center says the pinwheels represent the "joy and innocence of childhood while serving as the national emblem for child abuse prevention."
"We don't heal children, they heal themselves," Burch says. "Children are so resilient. When you give them the proper tools they need in order to know how to cope and move on from the things that happen to them, they can go out into the community, and they can thrive."
Last year, 27,934 cases of child abuse were reported in Dallas County. DCAC says 95% of victims know their abuser, and 73% do not tell anyone about the abuse for at least a year.
Burch says Dallas Children's Advocacy Center works with law enforcement to provide an interview room where kids are less likely to feel intimidated. She says kids might feel less nervous in a room with toys and soft or natural light.
"It helps to really defraud the thought the perpetrator might have put in their head that this is their fault, that you're the only one," she says. "Then it really helps create a level of community for them."
More information about the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center is available at https://dcac.org/donate/pinwheels/ .
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