University Medical Center has placed pinwheels in their courtyard garden in support of National Child Abuse Awareness Month.

It makes people ask questions, be aware of what is going on so they know. Obviously knowledge is power," said Nancy Leal, director of Pediatrics and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at UMC.

The placement of the windmills is in cooperation with Go Blue Lubbock, which is an annual project to help reduce child abuse and neglect in the community.

 

According to the Parenting Cottage, Lubbock has an extremely high rate of child abuse and neglect. Everything Lubbock reports that last year, there were 1,203 confirmed cases of abuse in Lubbock per Child Protective Services. In other words, 13 out of every 1,000 children in Lubbock have been abused. To put that into perspective, the national average is 8 out of 1,000.

This is a scary statistic and one we should fight to reduce by any means possible. Of course, if you know of a child that might be in harm, you are encouraged to contact police. The children should always come first.

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