Cartoon Characters and Child Abuse Prevention?

What could cartoon characters have to do with preventing child abuse?

Most would not say anything. Until recently, that probably would have been true, but not anymore.

Somewhere, someone decided to change a Facebook profile picture to cartoon characters to draw attention to child abuse and the need for prevention. Many people did the same thing, then many more, then thousands more. It became a mini-movement, got a lot of people talking, and even garnered national media attention.

The Facebook profile picture movement didn’t ask anyone to do anything more than post a picture to acknowledge the fact that child abuse exists and that we all need to do something about it. Changing images to cartoon characters made a statement and started a conversation.

For many people, it did even more than that.

Facebook’s image campaign is prompting some to donate to local organizations that prevent and respond to child abuse. Others are looking for more information about what can be done and sharing it with friends.

Others are posting messages on their own Facebook pages, responding to a slew of blog posts, or reaching out to the media calling for more attention to be paid to child abuse and the need to stop it. Still others are sharing their own experiences as survivors of abuse and/or reaching out with empathy to those who have suffered abuse.

All from a cartoon character image.

Many people have tried to find out who started it and if this whole thing has been a legitimate move. But none of that really matters.

What really matters is that conversations are taking place across the country about child abuse, something that people have often been hesitant to discuss, but an issue that desperately needs our attention. It is not just something that inevitably happens and cannot be changed. Can.

More and more people are thankful that for our communities to thrive, we must all recognize and address child abuse. Whether it’s physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, or neglect, it’s not okay for this to happen. It is simply unacceptable for any child to be abused in any way. Always.

Tackling this problem head-on now will yield tremendous results later. The more we invest in the health and well-being of children and families now, the more the next generation will pay back through increased productivity, better health, and responsible citizenship.

More and more people are also realizing that protecting children involves everyone in every community, not someone else’s problem. It is a personal responsibility.

Each person can make a difference in their sphere of influence: talk to friends, family, colleagues to raise awareness of child abuse. Find out what policies are in place to protect children. Ask local officials to take the initiative to do more to protect children. Get involved with a local organization that sponsors child abuse prevention and response programs.

For example, there are more than 900 Children’s Advocacy Centers across the country that have hundreds of resources to prevent and respond to child abuse. One example is the National Children’s Advocacy Center in Huntsville, Alabama, where model programs and initiatives are developed and disseminated to communities across the United States and around the world.

The possibilities are endless. And the opportunities are out there. There are solutions that work and are available to everyone.

Most importantly, more and more people are becoming more aware of what is going on around them.

All from an image of a cartoon character. Unbelievable really.

Now we have to take it from here. We need to build on the momentum to bring awareness of child abuse to a new level and do even more.

Communities. Individuals. Action. Can be done!