History of National Child Abuse Prevention Month
(content from Child Welfare Information Gateway)
Increasing public awareness of the need to ensure the safety and welfare of children led to the passage
of the first Federal child protection legislation, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA),
in 1974. While CAPTA has been amended many times over the years, most recently by the Keeping
Children and Families Safe Act of 2003, the purpose of the original legislation remains intact. Today, the
Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, is the Federal agency charged with supporting States, Tribes, and communities in providing
programs and services to protect children and strengthen families.
In the early 1980s, Congress made a further commitment to identifying and implementing solutions to
child abuse. Recognizing the alarming rate at which children continued to be abused and neglected and
the need for innovative programs to prevent child abuse and assist parents and families affected by
maltreatment, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives resolved that the week of June 6-12, 1982,
should be designated as the first National Child Abuse Prevention Week. They asked the President to
issue a proclamation calling upon Government agencies and the public to observe the week with
appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.
The following year, April was proclaimed the first National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
Since then, child abuse and neglect awareness activities have been promoted across the country during
April of each year. The Office on Child Abuse and Neglect (OCAN) within the Children's Bureau
coordinates Child Abuse Prevention Month, providing information and releasing updated national
statistics about child abuse and neglect each April.
In 1989, the Blue Ribbon Campaign to Prevent Child Abuse had its early beginnings as a Virginia
grandmother's tribute to her grandson who died as a result of abuse. She tied a blue ribbon to the
antenna of her car as a way to remember him and to alert her community to the tragedy of child abuse.
The Blue Ribbon Campaign has since expanded across the country, and many wear blue ribbons each
April in memory of those who have died as a result of child abuse. In other communities, special
fundraisers are held to support prevention activities and treatment facilities for victims, and candlelight
vigils are held as a remembrance. Most recently, the focus has shifted toward a more positive message
of celebrating "blue ribbon" individuals, organizations, and communities who have done much to
prevent child abuse and neglect.
In Title II of the CAPTA amendments of 1996, the Children's Bureau was charged with identifying a lead
agency in each State for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) grants. These grants support
the development, operation, and expansion of initiatives to prevent child abuse and neglect, as well as
the coordination of resources and activities to strengthen and support families to reduce the likelihood
of child maltreatment. CBCAP grantees within each State often take a leadership role in coordinating
special events and preparing materials to support Child Abuse Prevention Month. Regardless of their
role, CBCAP grantees are required to report annually on their Child Abuse Prevention Month activities.
In 2003, as part of the 20th anniversary of the original Presidential Proclamation designating April as
Child Abuse Prevention Month, OCAN recast the National Child Abuse Prevention Initiative as a year-
long effort. This initiative was launched at the 14th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect,
which was devoted to the theme of prevention. A national press conference there was the setting for
the release of the publication Emerging Practices in the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect.
The expansion of the Child Abuse Prevention Initiative was consistent with priorities of the
Administration for Children and Families and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. OCAN
and Child Welfare Information Gateway (formerly, the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and
Neglect Information) partnered with the broader child abuse prevention community to raise awareness
of the issue through a variety of tools, resources, activities, and public awareness events. Many of these
materials have been made available in print and on the web to related Federal agencies, organizations,
and concerned citizens in communities nationwide.
In 2004, there was emerging consensus among national child abuse prevention organizations and
related Federal agencies that building public will for child abuse prevention required engaging the public
in efforts to strengthen and support families and enhance parenting skills. Building on this national
momentum, OCAN shifted the focus of its child abuse prevention resources to incorporate a family
strengthening message promoting parenting and community support. Today, the Child Abuse
Prevention Initiative is an opportunity for communities across the country to keep children safe, provide
the support families need to stay together, and raise children and youth to be happy, secure, and stable
adults.
